Combustion
by Sanbika1397
Summary: Tsubame is the newest head of the Hagoromo clan, who is allied with the Uchiha clan. Since the Uchiha clan massacre, most of the Hagoromo clan has dispersed, leaving her pretty much by herself; her childhood friends Itachi and Sasuke leaving her as well. Her main goal is to bring the Hagoromo clan to its previous glory, but how far will she have to go to achieve her wish? Dei/oc
1. Chapter 1: Background Story

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Naruto. I don't own the Hagoromo clan, just Akira, Tsubame, Pochi, Shougo, and Tsukiko. (Along with a few others)

-Background story-

(3rd POV)

"Sasuke-kun!" A pale skinned young girl ran after the Uchiha, her short light gray pigtails blowing in the wind. The small Uchiha turned only to see his friend and classmate Tsubame. His black eyes locked with her dark brown ones and immediately smiled; he hadn't seen her in about a week.

"Tsubame-chan!" The girl ran up and gave Sasuke a hug, her porcelain skin turning slightly pink from pure happiness. "I missed you so much!" Tsubame shyly took both of his hands in hers and smiled, head cocked to the side.

"I'm so sorry! I had to have one of those training session thingies again!"

Sasuke looked down and brought his head down with him, embarrassed. "Why do you always have to go? Onii-san and I are worried for you. . ."

"Itachi-san is? Well mommy and daddy say it's only to make me stronger, so it's alright!"

"I know you're going to be the head of your clan, but why are they so hard on you? I still don't think it's fair." Sasuke let go of her hands and grabbed her sleeve. She was wearing a black kimono-like shirt, dark purple shorts and black ninja sandals. "Let's go find Itachi onii-san! I'm sure he wants to see you too!" He pulled her along, excited to play with his brother and best friend.

Taubame was from the Hagoromo clan, they and the Uchiha had been allies for years. On the outside, the two clans were extremely happy; they didn't fight at all, and both clans respected each other. But, they had internal problems. An Uchiha clan member had allegedly impregnated a Hagoromo woman; he raped her. For compensation, they had given up Sasuke as an apology for the clan member's actions: Sasuke and Tsubame were to be wed. This proposition was debated over often, due to the strange circumstances.

Tsubame, when she was of age, was to be the next head of the clan only because she had inherited the nature-style Explosion Release kekkai genkai. It had appeared only 3 times in the clan's history, and each one had been a clan leader. They were going to carry that tradition on with her, even though she was only a girl (that sparked many arguments). There were even debates over who Tsubame should marry; some thought she should marry one of her cousins, others thought marrying Sasuke was perfect, while others thought Itachi was a much better choice. Either way, they were bound to have an arguement. Nevertheless, she was trained by the current head of the clan to become the next head. It was rigorous training, giving no mercy to the small child.

"Onii-san! Tsubame's back!"

Itachi snapped out of his daze, smiling at the two lively kids bounding over to him. Sasuke let go of Tsubame's sleeve to run up to Itachi, the older Uchiha petting him on the head. "Welcome back."

Tsubame also ran over to Itachi, throwing her arms around his waist. "Hi Itachi!" She giggled and looked up at him, her brown eyes practically sparkling.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Sasuke grabbed Tsubame's hand and tugged. "Tsubame-chan, let's go play!"

"Okay! Let's play ninja! I wanna be the good one this time!" They both ran off, laughing and play fighting the entire way into the Uchiha's home.

Itachi watched them the entire time until they were out of sight, simply observing. This would officially be the last time he would see them playing together, so he tried to make the moment last. He would never return to this place again, and even if he could, Tsubame and Sasuke would probably hate him. Eventually he reverted his thoughts back to what he was thinking about before: planning the massacre of the Uchiha clan.

When it got dark, Itachi decided it was time for Tsubame to go back home. "Goodnight Tsu-chan!" Sauske ran up and gave her a big hug, which she gladly returned.

" 'Night you guys!" She waved goodbye and started to run home; she would get there in no time, their houses were right next to each other.

As she entered the gate of her home, she waved to everyone as she passed. She has a pretty good relationship with everyone in the clan, except the ones who don't want her to become the next head. Eventually she got to her room; it was rather small, it didn't even have enough space for a bed. She rolled out her plain white futon, smoothing it out expertly. She changed into her bright pink pajamas and then settled down, unaware just how much her life would change that night.

(Tsubame POV)

I awoke to a rather violent shaking by the shoulders, head flying everywhere. I rubbed my eyes and looked up, mentally noting to kill this person later. Seeing who it was, I immediately forgave her: it was Tsukiko, my mother. Crying, she took me into her arms and held me tight, squeezing the breath out of me.

My mother was called "The Angel of Konoha", which fit her perfectly. Her hair is even lighter than mine, it's almost white. With sky blue eyes and pale skin like mine, she's almost like a doll. She was also rail-thin and a horrible ninja. The only reason she was still in the clan was because of my kekkai genkai.

"Mom! What's wrong?! Did Shun hit you again?!" Shun was the clan leader's right hand man who despised me, my father, my younger brother, and especially my mom. He simply hated her because she gave birth to me.

"N-no. . . It's not him! Itachi. . . Itachi, he. . ." She couldn't finish talking, she was crying way too hard. Suddenly, the door slammed open and I saw the clan head with my father, whose name was Akira.

"Taubame! Stay here. Whatever you do, DO NOT GO NEXT DOOR. Do you understand?" Behind them I saw pure chaos. People were running, screaming, crying, and some were even laughing; now I was confused.

"Daddy, what happened?!"

My father averted his eyes from mine, and I immediately got a gist of what had happened. Releasing myself from my mother's grasp, I grab my miniature wooden Bo staff and pass through my fathers' legs despite their protests. The rest is all a blur; all I remember is dodging people until I got next door.

ANBU members and blood. That's the only thing I saw. I ignored the bystanders milling about, the occasional push, and even my father when he caught up with me. "Dad. . . what happened? Where's Itachi? Sasuke?"

My father only shook his head and looked away as if he were ashamed. "I can't tell you. You're too young."

"I'm not, and you know that. I can handle it. Tell me, dad."

He hesitated before squatting down to my height and holding my shoulders. "Itachi single-handedly. . . eliminated all of the members of the Uchiha clan, except for Sasuke." He gripped my shoulders harder, tears forming in my eyes. "He's on the loose and probably will never come back. Even if he does, he will be regarded as a criminal and executed."

In the middle of trying to comprehend what I just heard, I see a familiar person in my perefrial vision. "SASUKE! Sasuke, can you hear me? Sasuke!" Dad picked me up as soon as I started to yell, afraid I would run up to him. "I'm here for you, Sasuke!" My tears were free-falling, permeating my clothing. He slowly looked up at me, but I could tell he wasn't the same person. His eyes were dead and his expression lifeless, he briefly looked at me. To my dismay, he looked away quickly, tears welling up in his eyes as well. That was the last time I saw him with any emotion other than anger.

Everything pretty much went downhill after the Uchiha clan massacre. There were more internal altercations than ever, and soon it escalated to the point that something needed to be done. Eventually, the clan decided it would just disperse. Members had the option of choosing another clan or to go rogue, but the whole point was to leave Konoha. We had a giant clan meeting, each person decided where they would go right then and there. When it got to my parents, brother, and I, we didn't speak up immediately.

I looked at each of them in turn, and I could easily see that they didn't want to leave. Making my resolve, I stood up and held my chin high. "We choose to stay here and continue the Hagoromo legacy!" The room immediately fell silent, stunned. No one had chosen to stay.

"Are you sure you all want to do this?" The clan leader raised an eyebrow at us, half out of surprise, the other pure awe.

My father stood up next to me and draped an arm around my shoulders, beginning to cry. "We are 100% sure." My brother Shouta and my mother followed suit, sobbing as well.

"Very well." We were taken back at how quickly he agreed and just stood there awkwardly until he spoke up once more. "I guess I better choose the next clan head then." he chuckled, bringing his hand to his beard. "Tsubame Hagoromo, you are the next clan head. Congratulations."

The entire room was instantly filled with loud chatter, everyone in disbelief that a mere child was chosen. But, my parents and brother only smiled and cried some more, happy that they could stay.

In a matter of hours, the massive house was pretty much deserted; only the previous head remained to give us our blessings. At the last minute, he leaned down and whispered something in my ear that I could barely hear, and then placed his left hand on my back. The pain was unbearable, I clutched the bottom of my shorts to prevent myself from crying. I could feel the fabric being ripped from my back and my skin being singed. After what seemed to be an eternity, he finally removed his hand. On my entire back was our clan sign, its black outline slightly bleeding; it was tradition for the head to have it engraved on their back. Without another word, he turned and left along with the rest of the clan, leaving us all alone.

Years passed, and we eventually got used to being alone. I dropped out of the ninja academy and become a Chuunin at age ten, needing to get out early in order to lead my clan. My old teammates, Hikaru and Chunmei, were disappointed that I had to leave, but they understood.

Sasuke stopped talking to me altogether, he just occaisonally looked my way or waved discreetly. But then he just left. I heard that he went to Orochimaru for some reason or another, and then some time afterword he killed him! I still don't hear anything from him, so I don't know what to think of him anymore.

I'm fifteen years of age now, and have recently been promoted to Tokubetsu Jōnin. I mostly specialize in ninjutsu and assassination, but I don't have the other qualifications in order to become a full-on Jōnin. My appearance has significantly changed over the years as well; I'm no longer the naive kid I was before. I'm still as pale, but now my hair has grown to my waist, feathery and light. I wear my grandma's old summer kimono that she used to wear when she was my age; apparently she had left it behind when she left. It stops at my mid thigh and is a dark gray color, our clan sign on my left shoulder. I wear netting on my legs along with black ninja sandals and a dark purple belt around my kimono. In the back, I strap my now full-length Bo staff (it shrinks to about half its size so I can carry it) to my belt, taking it with me everywhere I go; my forehead protector is around my neck.

"Onee-chan!" Turning around from my sitting place on the roof, I see my younger brother Shouta trying to scramble up to the roof. I laugh while watching him struggle, it's really amusing. He finally makes it onto the roof and I clap my hands in approval.

"Good job, Shouta." I'm much quieter than I was as a kid, responsibility really changes a person.

"Thanks!" He scratches the back of his head, embarrassed. Shouta has grown up to become an exceptional ninja, looking just like his late father. He's three younger than I am, which means he's twelve. He has shaggy chestnut colored hair which is ALWAYS messy no matter how much I brush it. His eyes are a rich purple color, and his skin is slightly tanned. He wears tan shorts along with a black hoodie with our clan sign on the back, the sign and zipper both a bright white. His ninja shoes were black, and he has white tape wrapped around his ankles.

"Quack~!" Pochi raises a wing as a greeting, resting in Shouta's arms. Pochi is a pure white duck we found on the day dad died. My father died on a mission, and Asuma-sensei (he's a family friend) told us the day of. Shouta ran out of the house crying and I chased after him, crying as well. We rested by a lake and just cried, not wanting to return to our house; the pain would be too much. Eventually Pochi waddled over to us and nestled up to us, trying to comfort us. At first, we just widened our eyes in shock, but then we settled down and enjoyed the rest of the time in silence. Deciding it was time to go home, we got up and left, only to have Pochi follow us all the way home. The rest is history, I guess.

"Shouta, shouldn't you be training right now?"

He freezes, avoiding my eyes. "Uhh. . . "I just look at him, which eventually makes him break under pressure. "Fine, fine! Geez. . .l" He shuffles back down with Pochi, grunting the whole way down.

By myself once again, I get lost in my own thoughts thinking of the future of my clan; nothing else really matters when I think about it. Standing up, I place my hands over my head and stretch; my plan for the clan revival forming in my mind. It might get me killed, but I'll do anything for my clan I've worked so hard to protect.

_A\N_

Just wanted to remind you that this is NOT an oc/Sasu fic; they're just friends. I might throw in a little something but it's nothing that'll really change the story. Thanks for reading! Please review/no flames!


	2. Chapter 2: Hand-me-down

(Tsubame POV)

I climbed down the same way my brother did, except I did it with much more ease than he did. When my feet finally touched the ground, I walked slowly to the main kitchen where my mother usually was. Her demeanor certainly changed these past few years since dad died; I don't blame her, though. She was much more soft-spoken and quiet, similar to me. Shouta was pretty much the only one who didn't change; he was still as lively as ever. But, what came with his age was over ambition. He kept saying that he wanted to kill both Itachi AND Sasuke for making me cry; I would sometimes randomly cry, thinking of the peace of my childhood. He even said he wanted to become the Hokage one day, to get redemption for our clan.

"Tsubame!" When I finally entered the kitchen, my mother looked as if she was waiting for me; she held freshly-made blueberry muffins in a pan and smiled at me.

"Hello mother." I walked over to her and placed a hand on her arm, smiling softly.

"I made you your favorite! Come on, sit down!" I shook my head with a smile, but still sat down at our small table in the kitchen. My mother brought down a small plate and placed two of the muffins on it, pouring a cup of tea as well. She placed everything in front of me with another smile, and then walked away to go cook some more. I took a sip of the hibiscus tea, savoring its light delicate taste.

My peace was soon disturbed; Shouta came in wailing about how Pochi kept trying to eat his butt. "Nee-chan! Pochi keeps trying t- OUCH! QUIT IT!" The duck latched its beak onto his butt, flapping his wings to try to stay in the air.

"Pochi! Get off of Shouta!" My mother stopped stirring the pot on the stove, then wielded her ladle as if it was a weapon. Pochi complied and then jumped on my table, stealing one of my muffins. I sighed but said nothing, still sipping my tea.

"Oh yes, Shouta?" He turned his head to face me, eyes watering slightly. I laughed while covering my mouth, to be polite. "First of all, wipe your eyes."

"What?" He touched his eyes and then looked at his fingers to figure out what I was talking about. "Ah!" He wiped at his eyes embarrassedly, since he's always trying to be manly.

"After I'm done eating, I need for you to come with me for today."

"So I get to spend the day with you, Nee-sama?!" He was jumping up and down, excited to finally spend one-on-one time with me. "Er, I mean, Onee-chan!"

"I already told you that you can call me whatever you want, Shouta."

"Er. . . Alright! But can we go now, Nee-sama?!"

I put my teacup down and pushed it away from me, ready to go. "Mother, I'm sorry I didn't get to finish it."

"Oh, no! No, no, no! It's alright honey, just don't be back too late. I'm fixing something special for dinner tonight."

I nodded my head and then got up, motioning to Shouta to follow me. He trotted over to match my pace, humming softly. When we got to our destination, his mouth opened wide and he stared at me blatantly. "Nee-sama! Why did you take me to the weapon room?!"

I chuckled while I unlocked the door, amused by my little brother's curiosity. "Even though mother doesn't want you to have it, I still think you're ready for it." Opening the sliding doors, I walk in with Shouta; I knew he was going to love his present. "Stay here, okay?"

"It's not like I'll go anywhere! It's pitch black in here."

"Sorry about that, I'll turn on a light." I walked over to the approximate area the candle should be and made the necessary hand signs, then pointed my index finger at it. Yubi Hibana no justu." A spark came out of my finger, hitting the candle wick and setting it on fire.

"Woooaahhh." Shouta stood in the door frame, mouth open wide. "I still can't believe you can do stuff like that!"

"You might be able to do that too, you know."

Shouta dropped his eyes to the ground and glared at it. "You know that isn't true. . . I'm too old already."

"Even if you don't have it, you'll still be a great ninja; I know it." To tell you the truth, I'm a bit disappointed with Shouta. He thinks the only way that he will become a great ninja is to get the same kekkai genkai as me, and that he's too late for the kekkai genkai to show up. The only reason why he thinks it's too late for him is because mine showed up when I was four years old; I accidentally caused my baby bottle to blow up when I thought it tasted weird. "It doesn't matter what chakra type you have either, I think it will serve you well."

Shouta looked up, encouraged by my words. "What will serve me well?"

In both hands, I held up what I was talking about. It was my old short Bo staff I had as a kid; it was about four feet in length, which was the size of the one I currently have when it's retracted. "I want you to have this."

"You're giving me your old staff?!"

"Only because I think you'll be able to master it. The trap compartment still works as well." I clicked the hidden switch in the side, opening the door on the top of the staff. "Here. Take it."

He slowly stepped forward, savoring the moment. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm not able to use the compartment, I can't explode stuff."

"You don't have to. I've removed my metal pellets from it anyway, so you can put whatever you want in there." He finally took the wooden staff, extremely happy. "You can put in poison daggers, blinding liquid, hidden messages, pills, and many other things!" I listed off the options on my fingers as I said them and looked back at Shouta, who was inspecting the staff.

"Wow. This thing is amazing. . . Can you teach me how to use it?!"

"Shouta, you already know the basics; I've seen you practicing with sticks in the training grounds." That part is true; I've seen Shouta twirling around the same stick for years.

"B-but I'm only copying you! I still want to learn from you, Nee-sama!" He held the staff in one hand, letting one end of it rest on the ground. I could tell he was determined, it was all over his face.

". . . Fine, I'll teach you." I could never say no when be asked me to do something; he had a certain power over me.

"Thanks Nee-sama, I appreciate it!" He ran over and hugged me around the waist, smiling like an idiot. I patted his head and hugged him back, happy that he liked his gift. "Can we start now?!"

"No, Shouta." I let go of him to look him in the eyes, pinching his cheeks. "I already had plans to go and see Asuma-sensei. He's asked me to help train his students to see how they would react under pressure. You want to join us?"

"Of course, I can't wait to hang out with Choji again!" He ran out the door before I could say another word, I guess he really was excited. All I heard was a "Hurry up!" before he disappeared around the corner. Laughing, I put out the candle with my fingers and then ran after him.

_A/N_

Thanks for reading! Please review/no flames!


	3. Chapter 3: New Friends?

(Tsubame POV)

I continued to chase Shouta until we ran out the front door, and then he stopped. "Nee-chan, where are you going to meet Asuma- sensei?"

"Okay, calm down first." I held up my hands for a calming effect, but it didn't work.

"C'mon! Let's go already!" He tapped his new staff on the ground excitedly, eagerly wanting to train with me.

Eventually, I gave in and complied anyway. "*Sigh* Shall we go?" He nodded quickly in approval. "Shunshin no jutsu." I grabbed Shouta before leaving, taking him with me. With a cloud of smoke, we appeared in front of Yakiniku Q; Asuma told me to meet them there.

"What are we doing here?" He gestured inside the shop with his staff, completely confused.

"Asuma said they'd be here "like we always are" because they just came back from a mission; they come here to celebrate apparently." Even I raised an eyebrow at the sight in front of me; I was confused as to why they would come to a barbecue place. "Well, shall we go in?"

"Yeah, sure. But do you even know these people?"

I started to walk toward the entrance but still continued to talk to Shouta. "I only know Asuma-sensei and Choji, so this is going to be interesting." We both walked into the restaurant, moving aside the pieces of fabric in the doorway. We both gave our greetings to the shop owners (I had to remind Shouta) and then made our way through the store, peeking into the private rooms as well. "Ah. Found them. Asuma-sensei!"

Asuma looked up, pausing from his conversation with his students. "Tsubame-chan, Shouta-kun!" He immediately got up from his floor pillow and made his way over to us, arms open wide. He hugged me first, ruffling my hair roughly and making me slightly wince; he always did that when he saw me. He moved away from me to greet Shouta, his voice loud and obnoxious. "SSHHOOUUTTAA!" Asuma grabbed him in a headlock, despite his protests. Shouta began to hit Asuma with his Bo staff, so he eventually let go. "Well, that's surprising! Did you give him your old one, Tsubame-chan?"

I smiled and then put my hand around Shouta's shoulder, letting him know I was proud of him. "Yeah, I did. I knew he wanted my weapon, so I gave him my old one."

"Oh really?" Asuma took a drag on his cigarette, smiling widely. "How long have you had that, boy?"

"About ten minutes!" He held it up over his head with a proud look on his face, jumping foot to foot.

Asuma looked at us with an look of amazement, then choked on the smoke of his cigarette. When he got done coughing, he cracked one eye open and looked at us again. "A bit late, aren't we now?"

"Well, mom didn't want Shouta to have it at first. I still don't know why she didn't want me to give it to him." I clasped my hands in front of me out of habit, looking down in thought.

The sound of someone coughing brought me out of my thoughts; that someone was Choji. "Are you guys just going to ignore me like that?"

"CHHHOOOJJIII!" Shouta ran over and jumped on him, knocking over a few glasses of water with his Bo. I hurriedly ran over to the two of them and started to clean up the mess while silently reprimanding Shouta, who only scratched his head.

"It's okay, Tsubame-san. Don't be too harsh on him, okay?" I sighed and stopped cleaning up the mess, leaving the two boys to play fight.

"How troublesome. . . " I looked over to see who it was, and that same person was staring right back at me. I didn't look away, I simply studied him. His eyes were half closed as if he were sleepy, his mouth drooping slightly. His hair was pulled back into a extremely spiky ponytail without any grease or hair gel, which I needed to ask him about later. How does a person's hair do that?

I bowed slightly at him and the other person at the table; a long-haired blonde with almost all-purple clothes. She was really pretty, I'll give her that. They both returned my bow, the purple girl more enthusiastic than her teammate. "Ino, Shikamaru, this is Tsubame Hagoromo; the current head of the Hagoromo clan."

"It's a pleasure." I bowed my head in greeting, not wishing to humble myself too much; I was still the head.

I was greeted by silence from the two of them, so I took that as a cue to sit down and let them work it out. I sat on my legs next to Ino, who nervously scooted over to give me some space.

"So. . . you're the infamous child prodigy Tsubame Hagoromo?" Shikamaru placed his elbow on the table and leaned toward me, interested.

"If that's what people call me, then yes." I turned my attention to the beef on the plate in front of me, studying it. I never did have much of a taste for beef.

"Oh, really. . ." He looked at me some more before continuing on with his little "investigation". "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

I adjust my focus back to spiky-hair, trying to figure out his motives. "Not at all, go right ahead."

"Alright then. What rank are you?"

"Tokubetsu Jōnin."

"Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Did you even go to the ninja academy? I don't remember you."

"I did; in fact, I actually remember you. Shikamaru Nara, the lazy kid. I didn't really talk to anybody when I was in the academy, except for one person."

"Who is that person?"

"I'm not obligated to answer that question."

Shikamaru inhaled and then groaned, deep in thought. "When did you become a chūnin?"

"Ten years of age."

"Why are you, of all people, head of the Hagoromo clan?"

"It's mostly because I have the kekkai genkai the previous heads had. Plus, the majority of my clan evacuated when the Uchihas got massacred."

He stayed silent for a good minute, and then opened his mouth to speak again; only to be interrupted by Ino. "What is this, an interview?! Shikamaru, quit it. You too, Hagoromo-san; you don't have to answer any of his questions."

I calmly looked over at her but said nothing, which really freaked her out. She scooted over a little more, clearly getting uncomfortable. The rather awkward atmosphere was broken by no other than Asuma-sensei, he draped his arm over my shoulder roughly and held me close. "Aw, Tsubame-chan, lighten up! You've always been the serious one, loosen up a little bit, mmkay?"

I smile lightly, but I don't push Asuma's arm off of me; I know he's only trying to cheer me up. "Thank you Asuma-sensei, but I can't really "lighten up"; I have responsibilities now. I believe the child you are referring to has grown up." Asuma looks at me with a disappointed look on his face, but I ignore it and continue anyway. "I'd also like to point out that I did not mind Nara-san asking me those questions, I admire his bluntness." I look at Shikamaru, who has a slight smirk on his face; I needed to keep an eye on this one. "Yamanaka-san?"

"Y-yes!"

"Calm down, Yamanaka-san. It's not like I'm going to bite your head off, right?" I smiled for assurance, which luckily called her down enough so that she was no longer rigid. "Please do not call me by my last name; I only let people I dislike or hate call me by my last name."

"So. . . you don't dislike us?"

"No, I don't."

"Phew!" Ino slouched a little bit, apparently relieved that I did not dislike her. "That's a relief, Tsubame-chan!" I chuckled and covered my mouth with my mouth, trying to be polite. "So Tsubame-chan, what do you like to do in your free time?"

I froze, trying to think of an answer; I didn't really have much free time. "Uhm. . . I go on missions, go to meetings, take challenges, and train."

"Is that really all you do? That super sounds boring." Shikamaru spoke up this time, his head in his hands.

"That's not all you do, right? What happened to the crafty Tsubame I knew?" Asuma looked at me while taking another drag on his cigarette, concerned. "And what challenges are you talking about?"

Shouta perked up at the word "challenges" and stopped playing with Choji to speak up. "Nee-sama is really strong! She defeats everyone that comes to our house, no matter what the circumstances!"

"Shouta, sshhhh." I place my finger on my lips to try to silence him; I didn't want Asuma-sensei to worry.

"Why? I think it's awesome that you defeat everyone!" Poor boy, he still doesn't get it.

"You "defeat" them?" Asuma was still staring at me, looking for answers. Oh well, I guess I'll tell them; Shouta's going to have to learn this someday.

"I kill them; every single last person who endangers the Hagoromo clan's well being. I don't regret any of it, either." I look at Shouta in the eye, "That's the truth. Lots of people are after our clan, so I have to protect it from outsiders."

"What about the bodies. . .?" Asuma talked in a quieter voice than usual, most likely because of shock. I looked over at Shouta, who was still smiling as if I had said nothing.

He mouthed "It doesn't matter, Nee-sama. You're still amazing!" and then gave me a discreet thumbs up and smile, which gave me the strength to continue on.

"I have a few friends in the ANBU who clean them up for me."

Nobody said a word after that, but I don't blame them; I really wouldn't know what to say either. "So!" Ino clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, which luckily worked. "Back to the previous topic. Tsubame-chan, what do you like to do WHEN you have free time?"

"Well. . . hypothetically, I love to garden and make pottery; they're both really soothing to me."

"My family runs a flower shop!" I perked up at that statement; I had never been in a flower shop before. "How about you come over sometime?"

"I'll definitely have to clear my schedule, then." Embarrassed, I blush at my lap; I haven't spent time with a "friend" ever since Sasuke stopped talking to me.

"So, do you guys want to know the real reason why I called her here?" The rest of his team all nodded, so he gave the signal for me to continue what he was going to say.

"Today, I'm going to be personally training you three."

_A/N_

Thanks for reading! (⌒▽⌒) Please review/no flames!


	4. Chapter 4: Perseverance

After a lot of explaining, the six of us finally left Yakiniku Q after Asuma paid the huge bill (thanks to Choji). I could tell they definitely looked at me differently now that we told them I'd be training them, they were giving me sidelong looks the entire way to the training grounds. "Asuma-sensei?"

Asuma looked at Choji, who was trying to talk despite being jumped on by Shouta. Sighing, I grab my staff off of my belt and pointed it toward Shoji. "Nobiro." The staff extended to its full length, which was about six feet (it towers over me, I'm only five feet three inches; Shougo is five feet even). I put the other end of it in Shouta's hood and flicked it up, sending him flying off of Choji.

"Waahhh!" Thankfully, he landed (shakily) on his feet and turned to yell at me.

"Nee-sama! Don't do that!" He pouted at me, which made me laugh and continue to walk.

"Troublesome. . . ." Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to walk, clearly disinterested.

"Calm down guys!" Asuma turned to us, the cigarette in his mouth emitting smoke. "What, Choji?"

"How's Tsubame-san going to be training us?" Choji glanced at me before turning back to his sensei, face full of curiosity.

"How about you just ask her yourself? She can probably explain her tactics better than me, don't you think?"

Choji grunted in agreement, and then turned around to talk to me; I was walking in the very back of our group. "Tsubame-san. you heard what I just asked, right?"

I giggled and shook my head, "Yes, I heard. Sorry, I'm not going to be telling you anything; I want to keep it a surprise."

"Um, alright." Choji and Ino looked at me uneasily, not really sure what to say.

"Well, we're here!" Ino ran up in front of everyone and turned around, trying to clear the awkwardness. "Can you tell us what we're going to do now, Tsubame-chan?"

"Alright then, gather around if you would please." I gestured them to follow me after waving goodbye to Asuma; he was going to sit on the sidelines the entire training session.

"Me too, Nee-sama!" Shouta bounded over to me, super excited.

"Okay then." I clapped my hands together softly to get everyone's attention, "To start out, I'm going to ask you three a question."

"What's it about?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow and took his hands out of his pockets, suddenly interested.

"Your fighting style." I held up a finger for emphasis, "Although I would need to fight you to completely understand, I don't have that kind of time nor do I personally care." Ino and Choji gave me a look of shock, surprised by my rudeness; I usually switch personalities when I fight or train. "So, I thought I would just ask." I turned my hand so that my finger was pointing at Shikamaru, "You have thirty seconds. Go."

He blinked once but said nothing, thinking of how to answer. Shouta nervously nudged him, "I think you better speak up quickly; she's really impatient when she's like this."

"Fine. The main skill we have is the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, which has to be done with one hundred percent accuracy for it to be pulled off. Choji here," He gestured to him with his head, "converts the calories he eats into chakra he uses for his techniques. Ino," He gestured to her, "excels in mind-affecting techniques." He stopped talking, so I crossed my arms and waited for him to continue.

"I do believe that I asked for ALL of your fighting styles; you're not exempt. Please do take your time, but the clock's still running."

He groaned and rolled his eyes; he was going to pay for that later. "My ninjutsu is based primarily on shadows, an-"

"Time's up."

"Wha-"

"Your thirty seconds were up." He gave me a weird look, silently judging me. "What, do you think I was kidding when I said you only had thirty seconds? Let me tell you now, I don't kid around. Period."

"So. . . What's the point of you training us anyway?" Choji nervously spoke up; I don't think he's ever seen me like this before.

"To see how each of you do by yourself, under pressure. One day you're going to find yourself all alone, you need to be prepared for that." I held up my hand to prevent them from speaking, I knew they were going to argue with me. "I know you what you guys are thinking, I've been in the same situation you were in before. If you're thinking "I'll never be separated from my teammates" or "I'll be perfectly fine by myself", you are completely wrong."

"Fine then, your highness." Strike two for Shikamaru.

"So you'll be training us one on one?"

"Correct, miss Yamanaka. I'll train each of you a day each to be fair, and it'll be easier on me. Understood?" Everyone nodded slowly, "Good. So who wants to be first?"

They all looked at each other, silently communicating to figure out which one wanted to be the guinea pig; it didn't really matter, because they were all going to suffer equally. "Quick question." Shikamaru paused from the (somewhat) private meeting and raised his hand, the same bored expression still on his face.

"Yes?" I answered him with an expression to match his, already past my usual stupidity tolerance level.

"Just humor me, who was the boy that you were friends with when you were in the academy?"

I crossed my arms and stared at him, "I thought we had already moved on from that subject."

"So IT IS a guy!" Ino clasped her hands together and held it to her face, sparkles in her eyes. "Who's the lucky guy?! Childhood friends make the cutest couples. . ." She stared off into space with a dreamy look on her face, obviously thinking of her crush.

"Now I'm interested! Who is it, Tsubame-san?!"

". . .If I tell you guys, will you just decide on a person already?" Choji and Ino nodded quickly, ignoring what I said after the word "you". I sighed and rubbed my neck with my left hand nervously, not knowing exactly how they would react. "Uchiha Sasuke. . . My best friend was Sasuke."

The sparkles in their eyes instantly diminished, not expecting my answer. Ino's face turned dark, not liking what she heard. "Your best friend was Sasuke. . .?"

"Yeah."

". . . I remember you. . . " She walked up to me and narrowed her eyes, "You were the one that Sasuke always ran to when I (and pretty much all of the other girls at the academy) tried to get his attention (chased after him)."

I blinked, surprised that someone had actually remembered me. "You remember me?"

"Of course I do!" I had a brief feeling of happiness went through me; I can't believe that someone actually remembered me! "Because I hated you." My heart dropped, more out of disappointment than sadness; I thought I had finally made a female friend. She walked in circles around me, simply observing. "But now that I actually look at you and know you, . . .you aren't so bad after all." She smiled at me, but it wasn't returned.

"You're first."

Her smile disappeared, "What?"

"You're the first I'm going to train; you don't get a choice anymore."

"Why?!"

"No reason." Actually, that was a lie. Secretly, I was a bit. . . .jealous about the fact that Ino got to spend more time with Sasuke than I did, even though Sasuke and I were closer. "Are you ready?"

"B-but!"

"I thought you wanted to get stronger? Lead by example, Yamanaka-san; just go first." She nodded hesitantly, "Then let's start with seventy laps around the training grounds."

Her eyes almost popped out of her head, "WHAT?!"

"Don't act like you didn't hear me, Yamanaka-san; I don't appreciate ignorance. Now start, before the sun goes down."

The sun was just beginning to turn orange when I told Ino to stop, which put her near the bottom of my respect list; she barely made it past forty laps. "You disappoint me, Yamanaka-san." She looked up at me from her place on the ground to see if I was being serious or not. I was dead serious. "If an enemy were chasing you, at that super slow place, you probably would have died by now." She hung her head, too ashamed to say anything. "Get up, we're going to be working on taijustu now."

Her head snapped up, "I don't get a break?!"

"Think about this: If that same ninja that was chasing you saw you on the ground like this, would he give you a break if you asked him? He wouldn't. Now get up before I leave."

She glared at me but got up, body slightly trembling. "Hey, Tsubame-san?" Choji spoke up quietly from the sidelines, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"What, Choji-san?"

"Don't you think you're being a little too hard on her. . .? Maybe?" I sighed and held up a finger at Ino to tell her to wait; I need to have a private conversation with him. Walking over to him, I steered a little to the left, motioning for him to follow me. Once we got a safe distance away from earshot from the rest of them, my personality changed back to "normal". "What's wrong with you, Tsubame-san?"

"I'm sorry, Choji-san, I just. . . get passionate in situations like this. I just want to help, that's all."

Choji smiled a small smile and then put a hand on my shoulder to try and reassure me, which definitely worked. "That's great and all, but doesn't she need to be alive for you to train her? Just cut her a little slack, alright?" I smiled and nodded, then made my way back to where Ino was.

"Did you get a long enough break?" I bent down slightly and offered her my hand, which she gratefully took.

"Yeah, thanks. . .So when are we going to start the taijutsu part of the training? I'm more than ready now."

I smiled, proud of her for finally stepping up to the plate. I quickly whipped out my Bo staff and stabbed the middle of her chest, sending her flying backwards onto the ground; she landed on her feet, but I could tell she was pissed. "How about we start now?"

_A/N_

Just wanted to add a quick note about Ino; I know it might seem like I hate her, but I actually don't! She's one of my favorite characters actually.

Thanks for reading/please review/no flames!


	5. Chapter 5: Rain

"Okay, here are the rules." I rested my staff on my shoulder, "One: no genjustu. Two: no ninjutsu. Three: the sparring will officially be over when one of us falls or gives up. Simple, right?"

"Yup, got it." She grabbed a kunai from her weapons pouch and held it out in front of her, suddenly on alert.

"Okay then. Sta-!" I didn't get to finish my signal for her to start, she had already beat me to it. She threw a handful of shuriken at me, but luckily I sidestepped fast enough to dodge them.

"Who's late now?" I heard her voice in my left ear, and I instinctively jabbed the end of my staff in that direction and swept it up, catching her under her jaw. She flew into the air but balanced herself, sending another wave of shuriken my way. Running to the left, I dodged them and began to circle her, trying to formulate my next attack. She landed on the ground and charged at me, a kunai in each hand. Swinging her right fist forward, she aimed the weapon right at the center of my face to go in for the kill. Redirecting her fist with my index finger and grabbing it, I swung my staff at the side of her head. She ducked down in time, but she didn't dodge the foot heading straight to her face.

My foot hit dead center of her face and sent her head reeling back from the pure force of the kick. I let my guard down for a split second (because I was worried that I might have hit her too hard) and she used this advantage to fling a kunai my way. "!" I clutched my shoulder in pain before yanking out the kunai that was lodged in my right deltoid.

"You're not as tough as I thought." She smirked and resumed her defensive pose, "You're actually quite average; I really don't see how YOU'RE the best your clan has to offer."

(3rd POV)

". . .Oh no. . ." Asuma's cigarette dropped out of his mouth, already knowing that something bad was going to happen. "This isn't good." He turned to his left to talk to Choji, but he was gone; He and Shouta were off training by themselves.

"What's the "oh no" for?" Shikamaru sat leaning forward, elbows resting on his legs comfortably.

Asuma turned back to the front and lit another cigarette, taking a long drag on it. After savoring the taste of nicotine for a few seconds, he finally spoke up. "Tsubame is very protective of her clan, so she always gets. . .well, violent whenever someone questions the power of both her and her clan."

"But she does seem a little weak; she couldn't even dodge that kunai that Ino threw, it right in front of her face too."

Asuma laughed, "She probably just felt bad for kicking Ino in the face; she's sometimes merciful, believe it or not. . .Those little moments let me know that she's still human."

"Hmm. . ." Shikamaru turned his attention back to the fight, the gears in his head turning. He still didn't know if this Tsubame girl was to be completely trusted or not; she still seemed a little suspicious. Asuma completely trusted her, but he felt like she was holding something back that was important. Setting aside his thoughts temporarily, he put his full attention to Tsubame's fighting.

(Tsubame POV)

That was it; she needed to be taught a lesson. Ignoring my new shoulder wound for the time being, I dash toward her but stop mid-step as quickly as I had ran forward. This confused her into jumping backwards a good couple feet, which was the perfect range for my next attack. "Heh. . ." I smirked and chuckled as I twirled my staff above my head, adding to her confusion.

"Now what? Did that wound knock a screw loose in that pretty little head of yours?" She smirked, but I could still tell that she was nervous; she was darting her eyes all around her. "You know, y-" I cut her off again (thats happening a lot today, I've noticed) with a blow from my staff to the neck and then to her stomach. She recovered sooner than I thought and swung her kunai out again, trying to cut my throat. Faster than I thought I could, I send my head flying back and grab a handful of Ino's hair. She gasped, but it got muffled by my knee; as hard as I could manage, I swiftly brought her head to my awaiting knee. I heard her try to say something, so I hit a specific nerve on the back of her neck to shut her up. Immediately knocking her out, she dropped to the dirt, nose bleeding profusely.

I looked down at her, not even bothering to pick her up; I would've left her there if the rest of the group hadn't come over. "Tsubame-san!" Choji yelled at me, snapping me out of my daze. "What did you do?!"

I grabbed my shoulder and re-attached my staff to the back of my belt, just wanting to leave. "Obviously, I just won." I glanced at him but then averted my gaze back to the ground, trying to calm myself; I usually don't go that far when I spar with someone. "Weren't you watching?"

"It's true, Choji. She won fair and square; she even got herself hurt in the process." Asuma motioned for him to carry Ino while he was talking, which Choji obeyed. "Hey Tsubame, you should get that wrapped soon before it gets infected. See you." With that, the four of them disappeared, leaving me all alone, blood dripping from my shoulder.

"NEE-SAMA!" As if on cue, Shouta came running over to me with a concerned look on his face. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

I smiled, feeling extremely fortunate to have a person like him in my life; he was always there to cheer me up, no matter what. "Yeah, I'm going to be fine. Thanks for worrying, Shouta."

"WE NEED TO GET YOUR SHOULDER CHECKED OUT, THOUGH!" He was now right in front of me, carefully studying my wound.

"I'll be fine, Shouta." I reached into the folds of my kimono and pulled out some white bandages; I always carry some with me. As I was wrapping my shoulder, I tried my best to make casual conversation with Shouta to calm him down. "I'm sorry, Shouta. I'm probably not going to be able to help you train today, I'll have to wait until my wound heals a little more."

"Don't be stupid! I'm not expecting you to at all! I want you to be fully healed when we spar!" He smiled a toothy grin, which really got me smiling. After I got done bandaging my wound, I held my arms out and hugged his head. "Uhh. . . what are you doing?" He strained his neck to get a better look on my face, delighted yet confused with the sudden gesture.

". . . Just stay like this, okay? Don't change, please just keep being the kind person you are no matter what." I smiled and let go of him, "Shall we go home?" He smiled and yawned, tired from his training with Choji.

By the time we got home, it had already started to rain. Running inside, we hastily removed our shoes at the door and made our way into the house, Shouta into the kitchen to get something to eat and me into my room to change my clothes. I shed all of my clothes and put them in a neat pile next to my bed, then grabbed another pile of clothes in my dresser. I undid the bandaging and applied first aid to my wound, slightly wincing each time the disinfectant touched the gash. I wiped off the rest of the blood off of my arm and wrapped it again after I was done. I got dressed in my full-length eggplant-colored cotton yukata, my clan sign on my left shoulder. I put on my black cotton sash as well and grabbed my plain low geta with black straps, not forgetting my black and white striped bangasa either. I quietly make my way through the halls, not wanting to alert anyone of my presence; I need to be alone. I made it to the front door (luckily without anyone noticing) and slipped on my geta, careful not to make excessive noise.

Once I slipped through my front door, I sighed in relief and opened my bangasa to shelter myself from the rain. I looked left and then right, checking to see if anyone was following me; you can never be too careful. Eventually, I just let myself wander through the streets, extremely enjoying the time alone. I let my mind wander as well, thinking of the rather unfortunate events that have happened today. "Good job, Tsubame. You've just made and lost your first female friend in less than a day." I sighed again but still continued my stroll, silently reprimanding myself.

"Ah. . ." I wandered through the streets for a good amount of time, until I stopped at the place that held so many bad memories: the cemetery where the third hokage was buried. The third hokage held a special place in my heart, he was like a grandfather to me before and after my father died; he looked out for us in a way that only family would.

I slowly made my way over to his grave, tears suddenly forming in my eyes. "Who. . .?" I squinted in the rain, trying to see the figure that was near his grave. It was Asuma-sensei. Deciding that it would be a bad idea to visit at this time, I waited behind the wall of the entrance and simply waited; I didn't want to interrupt him in his moment with his father.

"Meow!" Looking down, I saw a black cat rubbing against my legs, sopping wet. I reached down to scratch its ears, but it ran away before I could do so; its owner called its name.

"What a cute name. . .Aiko. . ." Still deep in thought, I brought my gaze up towards the sky, happy for the temporary peace, unaware of the future misfortune I had in store for me.

_A/N_

Just a quick guide to those who don't know:

Geta: Traditional japanese shoes that look like a cross between a clog and a flip flop, usually worn with a kimono or yukata.

Bangasa: Traditional japanese umbrellas. Basically the japanese parasol for when it rains.

Thanks for reading! Please review/no flames!


	6. Chapter 6: New Mission

By the time I got home and finished paying my respects, the sun had already fully set. I closed by bangasa (it stopped raining as well) and took off my geta, carrying them into the house. "Chiriku was killed?!" Walking past the sliding door of the living room, I heard my mother talking.

"Sadly, yes. We believe two of the Akatsuki members raided the Fire Temple." A man's voice that I recognized spoke up, his voice smooth and calming.

"Why?!"

The man sighed, "For the bounty on his head."

". . .The bounty? Why are the Akatsuki targeting people for A BOUNTY?" she paused, but spoke up again to interrupt the man before he could talk. "Was it Itachi?"

"We don't think so, no."

"I'm coming in." Opening the door fully, I stare down at the two of them in the dim lighting, provided by a single candle. My mother was wearing her thin silk kimono, the pink and red flowers on the purple fabric appearing almost life like. Her thin, slightly gray hair was strewn over her shoulders, a lock of hair partially covering her left eye. The man she was speaking with and my mother were both sitting in the center of the small room on the green tatami floor, the two of them sitting near the short wooden table. "Mother. Hideo."

"Tsubame!" My mother tried to get up, but I held up my hand to signal her to sit down. "Where were you?"

"I took a walk." I smiled softly at her but then turned to Hideo, who wasn't surprised at all by my sudden entrance. Hideo was a member of the ANBU black ops, and was the Buntaicho (squad leader) of his division. His sword, white cloak, and porcelain cat mask (it had three green brush marks on the left side) were messily laid on the table. I honestly don't know how he's a black ops member; he's so unorganized and clumsy.

"Hello to you too, Tsubame-chan." His dark brown eyes were closed when he smiled at me. "How are you?" His eyes locked with mine, and he ran a hand through his short chestnut colored hair. HIs skin was pale like mine, and his round face made him look younger than he actually was; he was only three years younger than my mother.

"I'm doing alright. You?" Honestly, I didn't like him all that much; he was an orphan that the previous Hagoromo clan had adopted. The thing is, they had adopted him AFTER they left, so technically he wasn't part of the main branch. Oddly enough, he even has the typical physical traits of the Hagoromo family: brown eyes and chestnut colored hair. My father had the same eye and hair color combination, which is how I got my brown eyes and how Shouta got his chestnut colored hair.

"Well, I've actually. . ." He paused, my brown eyes boring into his. "You don't care, do you?"

I sat down on my legs in between Hideo and my mother, leering at him out of the corner of my eye. "You are correct." My mother put her hand on my arm to try and calm me down. "But I know that you aren't here to just have a chat, am I right?"

He continued to smile at me the entire time he was speaking, which really pissed me off. "You are correct!" He pointed both of his index fingers at me and poked his tongue out the side of his mouth, trying to be funny. "I want you to join the ANBU."

"My answer is still no. You don't even have the authority to allow me to join in the first place; that's the Hokage's job."

"That's the thing! Lady Tsunade has gave me the O.K. to recruit you~!"

I staredat him, disgusted at his tone of voice; it was sickly sweet. I really hate the fact that he changes his voice whenever he speaks to me. "That doesn't matter. I respectfully decline."

"Fine. . .For now." I sigh, which set him off into a fit of laughter."But I have a proposition for you; come with me to supervise the Niju Shotai. That's all!"

"The Niju Shotai. . .?" I honestly haven't ever heard of them; whoever they are, they must be new.

"They're twenty different groups made up of four man squads that Lady Tsunade created to locate the members of the Akatsuki."

My mom looked at the two of us back and forth, worried for me. "Mother, shouldn't you be going to bed around now?"

"I guess I will. . . goodnight you two. . ." She got up and left, looking behind her one last time before closing the door behind her, the silk kimono trailing behind her.

Once I knew she was out of earshot, I turn back to Hideo and tap my index finger on my leg. "Explain."

"I think that you're perfect for the job. . . That's why I haven't assigned anyone from my own unit."

". . .What job?"

Exaggeratedly, he huffs and crosses his arms, trying to act cute. "I already told you! We're going to supervise them and intervene if they run into some trouble; they may be overpowered." He claps his hands and rapidly blinks his eyes, "And I know you want to see some members of the Akatsuki~!"

"Shut up, Hideo." I bit my thumb and started to think, trying to think of how this could possibly benefit me. ". . .Are you sure that Itachi absolutely won't be there?"

"I'm pretty sure; you and I both know that Itachi doesn't kill people for bounty. Period."

I had to admit, the bastard was right; Itachi doesn't kill for money, he probably kills for no reason. After thinking of the possible consequences of my actions, I eventually made up my mind; I wanted to meet whoever had killed Asuma's old comrade. "I accept."

Hideo jumped up, getting way too excited for his own good. "Perfect! The mission starts tomorrow at eight in the morning at the front gate. I would remind you to be on time, but knowing you, I bet you'll be early. Tell Tsukiko I said goodnight, if you would please." He snatched his possessions off of the table and hastily put them on, not wanting to reveal his identity to outsiders. "See ya~!" With a poof of smoke, he disappeared.

I woke up the next morning to Shouta yelling at Pochi; apparently Pochi had bit his nose again. "POCHI! QUIT IT!" The sound of his voice resonated throughout the halls, and most likely could be heard in the houses next door.

I slowly sat up in my futon, rubbing my eyes to look at the green and white alarm clock to my left. "Seven. . . fifty-six? . . .SEVEN FIFTY-SIX?!" I immediately jump up, silently freaking out; I have never woken up this close to a deadline before. Scrambling, I shed my simple black pajama shorts and the matching button up shirt and, grabbing the pile of clothes I had set aside in my dresser. I threw on my silky black kimono jacket, tight black pants, my black sandals, and a simple black cotton shirt. Running out the door, I quickly grab my staff and a white handkerchief, trying to get out as fast as I possibly can.

"Nee-sama!"

I turn around to say goodbye but still keep running, "Sorry, Shouta! I've got to go!" He tried to say something else, but I was too far away to hear clearly. Once I cleared the front door, I disappeared in a cloud of smoke, desperate to get to the checkpoint in time.


	7. Chapter 7: Spotted

"Sorry I'm late!" I ran out the gate and looked around, afraid that Hideo left me; I didn't see anyone there.

"Up here, Hagoromo!" I looked up into the trees to try and find him; that fool is the only one I know who actually calls me just by my last name. Two seconds later, I spotted a white lump on a nearby tree branch.

Jumping over onto it, I press both my hands together and close one eye to apologize "I'm sorry for being late, Hideo. . ." I still can't believe that I was LATE; I'm usually the first one to arrive.

"Actually, no, you're not!" He held both of his arms out toward me, "The teams have just left, so it's perfect timing!"

Sighing, I turn my back to him and crouch down to jump. "Let's go, then."

Jumping from tree to tree, we traveled side by side in complete silence. "Hagoromo!" Completely destroying the previous silence we had, I look at him with an annoyed look on my face.

"Aren't you supposed to be quiet?"

"Huh? What?" He looked at me and tilted his masked head.

"I thought ANBU black ops members weren't supposed to speak?" He continued to look at me through the eyes in his cat mask, which almost creeped me out. Almost. "Well?"

He said nothing, but turned his head and began to jump even faster. Annoyed even more, I follow him with plans to kill him later.

When the trees began to become sparse, Hideo slowed down to a stop, sticking his hand out to signal me to stop as well. "Cover your face." I nodded and grabbed the handkerchief in the inner pocket of my jacket, placing it over the lower half of my face and tying it in the back. He quickly looked behind him to make sure I was covered, then turned his head back. "That's the best you can do?"

"Yes, actually. Now shut up."

He ignored me and kept his head where it was, observing someone that I could not see. He gestured for me to come closer, which for some strange reason I obeyed. "There's Asuma's team." Straining my eyes, I could barely make out Asuma, Shikamaru, Kotetsu, and Izumo standing in front of the Fire Temple.

"Asuma's team is in the Niju Shotai?" I kept my eyes on the team as they moved into the temple, curious of what they were going to do next. Nodding, he also kept his attention on the group.

"Chiriku was an old comrade of Asuma, that's why they're here." I looked at him for a brief moment, trying to figure out what was going on in that head of his; he was really difficult to read. "Hmm"-ing in reply, we both waited for them to come out, which they eventually did. Once they were out of sight, Hideo jumped down from our branch and ran into the building with me following close behind him. "Stay here, please." He went inside alone and I stayed by the entrance. I tapped my foot and fiddled with the string hanging from my sleeve, absolutely pissed.

"Hello~? Are you done yet?" I turned around and spoke loudly into the temple, getting slightly worried; weren't we supposed to be supervising? Half an hour has already passed. Getting no response or reaction, I immediately leave the area to do the job that was assigned. Even though he is technically my "teammate", I will still leave him to do the job if he isn't.

I followed the general direction that I saw Asuma's team was headed towards and kept going straight. Honestly, I don't know where exactly I'm going, but I need to start somewhere. "Where?!" I immediately hid behind a tree and peeked around it, curious to see if they were the Akatsuki; if they were, I would need to find a way to escape. "You've located the Akatsuki members?"

I exhaled in relief, but then turned my attention back to the all-male group on the forest floor. "The bounty collection office?" Without needing to hear another word, I head off in the opposite direction to get away and then head out to the office; knowing that a majority of the teams will now be there with the Akatsuki, I need to be there to help if necessary.

I got to the collection center right on time; I saw Asuma's team hiding from the Akatsuki member. Peering at the man in the black cloak with red clouds, I study him. His somewhat long silver hair that matched mine was slicked back, fully exposing his face (which was actually quite handsome). His cloak was parted, showing the majority of his chest along with his headband (that had a slash through it) and a necklace. The necklace I recognized from one of the instances I had to eliminate someone who threatened my position. He was a Jashinist, and he was really a pain to finally kill.

I couldn't look at him any closer because before I knew it, Kotetsu and Izumo had stabbed the Akatsuki member's vital organs; he was as good as dead. Or so I thought.

He didn't react the way I thought he would, he should have immediately died when the swords pierced his body. Instead, he kept on talking, making smart comments as he stood there frozen by Shikamaru's shadow technique. Now that Kotetsu and Izumo were out of the picture, the situation became more serious than ever. The next thing I knew, Asuma began to fight Hidan himself, Shikamaru backing him up from a distance. I tried to go and help before it got too bad, but I was stopped by a hand tightly gripping my shoulder.

Looking down on my shoulder, I saw a weirdly colored hand; it was an odd shade of brownish-red, and the nails were painted a simple black. As I traced the arm up to his face, I was met by oddly colored eyes. The pupils and the iris were both a pure green, and the sclera was a red. Looking at him, I could tell he was more than ready to kill. "You. . .You're that Hagoromo girl that Itachi keeps talking about."

_A/N_

Thanks for reading! Please review/no flames!


	8. Chapter 8: Kidnapped

My hand automatically latched onto my staff, but a mysterious black tentacle wrapped around my wrist. "I advise you to stop now while you're ahead. I won't hurt you, unless you do something stupid. Understand?" He narrowed his eyes slightly and tightened the grip on my shoulder.

I let go of my staff and whispered my reply, not wanting to alert the others. "I understand."

"You're Tsubame Hagoromo, correct?" To my relief, his hand removed itself from my shoulder, but the tentacle on my wrist remained.

"Yes. . . I am." He looked over at the fight, observing his fellow member's progress. I looked over as well, and to my extreme horror I saw Asuma's right arm burnt severely. They were in a definite pinch.

"Hidan!" The strange-skinned man behind me called out to the silver haired creep, whose skin had turned black and white.

"What Kakuzu?! Stay out of my fight!" He yelled and looked up at us, anger all over his face. The anger quickly turned into confusion when he finally noticed me next to him on the branch. "Kakuzu! Who's that bitch?!" Izumo and Kotetsu had woken up and were now looking around confusedly, trying to figure out what was happening. Shikamaru and Asuma also looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Tsubame-san!" Shikamaru yelled at me, obviously pissed that I was here. Asuma, on the other hand, took advantage of the situation and completely sliced Hidan's head off with his chakra blades.

The man behind me sighed and shook his head slightly. "Hidan, you idiot. . ."

My mouth dropped at the side of the projectile head flying opposite our direction. "Ouch! What the fuck, that hurt!" It started to talk as soon as it hit the ground, rolling before coming to a stop. "Kakuzu, help me you idiot!"

The strange man sighed, but immediately made his way over to his head and grabbed it by the hair. Dodging attacks from both Shikamaru and Asuma, he got the body as well. "Why do I always have to do things like this without getting paid?" With the tendrils from his stitches, Kakuzu easily re-attached Hidan's head back onto his neck.

". . .What?" Shikamaru looked absolutely terrified from his place on the ground; he was obviously exhausted.

Hidan rolled his neck around and hopped back onto his Jashinist circle to finish what he started. Laughing maniacally, he stabs himself directly in the heart.

"ASUMA!" Not thinking, I jump off of the tree and ran over to Asuma, whose chest injury exactly matched Hidan's. If he didn't get medical attention now, there was no way in hell he was going to survive that. Before I got to him, a couple of Kakuzu's tentacles came flying my way and latched onto my waist, dragging me on my back towards the two Akatsuki members on my stomach. "No! Please stop!" My eyes wide with fear, I tried to claw my way back toward Asuma. My long nails were breaking and my hands were bleeding, but I still wasn't getting anywhere; Kazuku's threads were too powerful.

"I told you not to do anything, girl." I felt myself being lifted off the ground by my leg and then smacked down onto the ground, landing right on my head (which was now bleeding). I recovered quickly and grabbed a kunai knife from my inner jacket sleeve, trying to saw off the threads. They were as thick as steel, so it was near impossible to get them off of my leg.

"Get the fuck off of me!" I paused before shifting the kunai knife to my upper thigh, more than ready to saw my leg off if necessary.

"Woah, woah!" Hidan ran over to me (to my extreme discontent) and snatched the kunai from my hand, stomping a foot on my stomach hold me down.

"Let her go, you freaks!" I heard Ino's voice, and I turned my head rather painfully to where I thought the noise was coming from. I saw Ino, Choji, and two other men that I haven't seen before arrive, looking rather distraught. "Asuma-sensei!" She looked from Asuma to Shikamaru to me for answers, but she got none. "Shikamaru, what happened?" She was on the verge of crying as well, Choji and Shikamaru following suit.

"Well isn't this nice? Everyone's crying for the weakling." He chuckled and looked at the new group that arrived, the lust for blood apparent in his eyes.

"HIdan, we've got to go."

Hidan looked back at his partner, bewildered. "What?! We still have to grab that fucking Jinchuuriki kid!"

"We have another package we have to deliver."

He looked at me and narrowed his eyes. "This bitch?"

"Yeah. Leader said it was alright if we bring either this brat or the Nine-tails. Plus, Itachi paid me to make sure I get her instead of the kid."

Hidan eyed me up and down with a slight pout on his face. "But what about those people over there? I want to sacrifice them to Jashin!" He looked back at the group, exchanging death glares with each other. I wiggled under his foot, barely able to breathe anymore.

"Get. . .OFF!" I yelled a battle cry and then yanked his ankle as hard as I could, throwing him off balance and onto the ground. Breaking free of him, I quickly make a half of a seal with my left hand and place my free hand around the writhing tentacles that were still around my leg. "Te no Bakudan no Jutsu!" The stitches that were in my hands immediately exploded, freeing my leg. Running for my life, I finally reach Asuma with Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. I placed both my hands over Asuma's heart and tried to heal him; I hope I wasn't too late.

"Girl, you've really done it now." His stitches caught hold of my leg again, but this time he sent me flying towards him.

"Tsubame-chan!" Ino reached for me, crying for both her sensei and me.

When I got close enough to Kakuzu, he grabbed my by the neck and held me up off the ground to his eye level. "What did I tell you?" I clawed at the hand on my neck that was currently closed around my neck, which was ceasing my breathing.

"This bitch!" Hidan took out his scythe and started to swing it, angry that I had tripped him.

Kakuzu looked over my shoulder and sighed at his companion. Dropping me onto the ground, I landed in a ragged heap, gasping for breath. "Stop, Hidan. We have to deliver her without any serious injuries."

Hidan put away his scythe but still stomped over to me and grabbed me by the hair. His face inches from my own, I could clearly see the stitches on his neck. "Bitch, don't think you can just do shit like that and get away with it! I'll sacrifice your weak ass to Jashin!" Wincing slightly from the pain, I stared him in the eye and made the same hand sign I threw out a few minutes ago.

"Stop, both of you." Kakuzu walked over to us and snatched me away from Hidan, grabbing me by the back of my jacket.

Suddenly, they both froze and listened. Confusedly, I looked around and listened hard to try and hear whatever they were. After a few more seconds, they snapped out of it, looking awfully dejected. ". . .Looks like I won't be able to collect him for bounty. . . Damn." Without telling Hidan, he teleported away from everyone into an unknown area, taking me with him. A couple minutes later, Hidan appeared in a puff of smoke, the upper part of his cloak still down.

"Dammit Kakuzu! Don't suddenly leave without telling me!"

Ignoring Hidan, he turned me around so we were facing each other again. "You're getting heavy, so I'm going to put you down. Don't run away." I could see he meant it by the way his eyes narrowed, full of distrust and hate.

He dropped me again, but this time I landed on my feet. Glancing around, I saw that we were on the side of a small mountain, standing on a rocky cliff that oversaw the forested valley. I glared at the two men in front of me but dropped it as soon as I remembered about Asuma. "What now, Bitch?!" Hidan appeared in front of face, brows drawn together in very, very slight concern.

My face returned to normal; I was tired of dealing with this guy's idiocy. Instead, I turned to his partner and crossed my arms. "What happens now? . . .If you don't mind my asking."

Both of his eyebrows raised in partial surprise, and then he began to walk away. "Now, we take you to the Akatsuki hideout and I collect my reward." I followed after Kakuzu silently, not wanting to show any more emotion than I already have. I think I'm at my daily limit already.

_A/N_

Just to give a heads up, I'm going to be tweaking the actual storyline quite a bit. Some people that are supposed to be dead will live, etc.

Please review/no flames!


	9. Chapter 9: Stuck

"Hey, bitch." One of my eyes opened slightly out of annoyance; this guy just won't stop talking. "Bitch!"

"I've told you once, and I'll tell you again. You will call me Hagoromo, nothing else." I closed my eyes again and continued to leisurely walk, ignoring the glare I was getting from Hidan.

"I'll call you whatever I want to, bitch." He stupidly laughed at his own comment, making Kakuzu and I sigh for about the fortieth time in an hour. As his laugh began to die down, the silence ensued until the ass spoke up again. "I have a question."

I looked over at him with both eyes open and shook my head. "Well, I probably don't have an answer for you."

He glared at me, "Let's try that again. I have a question."

I groaned, "Fine. What is it, Grease?"

He immediately stopped and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, dragging me to him. "What did you say?!" His spit flew in my face, so I wiped it off with my hand out of disgust and flung it to the ground.

"You get to give me a nickname, but I can't give you one? Calm down, it's only out of love." I smirked, amused by his shocked face. Once he snapped out of it, he started to violently shake me; I was afraid my head would fly off my shoulders, he was shaking me so damn hard.

A rather familiar black tentacle appeared in between us and grabbed me by the waist, trying to get me away from the angry immortal. "Hidan, calm down." He glared at Hidan, who still continued to glare at me. "I think it's a great name, actually." He quickly turned around and chuckled to himself, amused.

"What?! Kakuzu, you too?!"

Kakuzu and I did a half hearted chuckle side by side, continuing to walk the same slow pace that we walked before. When he ran to catch up with us, I turned to him and smiled. "Sorry. What were you going to ask?"

He looked at me for a short while before grabbing my arm (roughly) and dragging me towards him. "Why are you so calm? We've just fucking kidnapped you, and you're acting like it happens to you everyday!"

"What, are you mad at the fact that I'm not stupid? There's no way I can match up to two S-rank criminals; one of you is immortal, too. So, I'm not going to be so stupid as to do that." I shrugged, "Being calm is just in my nature."

"UGH!" Hidan let go of me and grabbed his head, yelling towards the sky. "SHE'S LIKE A FEMALE KAKUZU!"

I stared at him for a while before picking up my pace to get away from him. "Weirdo. . ."

"Hey, bitch! Wait up!" He jogged after Kakuzu and I, swearing and yelling.

* * *

"We're here."

After a series of teleportations and walking spurts (to avoid detection), we ended up in a rather gray rocky area somewhere in the Hidden Rain country. Thankfully, the rain from earlier had finally let up, even though it would probably start to rain again. My jacket and cotton shirt were already soaked through and clinging to my body, and the cold breeze wasn't helping at all. I looked around for some sort of door or passageway, but found none. "Here, where?" I sneezed into my damp sleeve and then looked up at Kakuzu.

"The Akatsuki base." He walked over to a large rock to our right and placed his hand onto it, his hand glowing. The twelve foot tall wall of rock in front of us opened as if it were a pair of curtains, slowly gliding over the mud. "Come on, Hagoromo." I followed after him, Hidan right by my side.

Walking into the base, I was greeted by pure darkness. "Um. . .?"

"Just keep walking." Hidan guided me into the darkness with his hand, not even glancing at me. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw that we were in a rather large room; I could easily fit my house in here. The only thing in the room was a gigantic stone statue of a demonic being, both of its hands facing up and slightly curled inward.

"Achoo!" I sneezed again, absolutely freezing. Somehow, the inside of this area was even chillier than the outside. Kakuzu and Hidan ignored me and continued to walk toward the statue where a meeting was going on.

"Hidan. Kakuzu." An authoritative voice spoke up loudly among the occasional murmur, silencing all of them.

"We've brought the girl. We didn't get to get the Nine-tails kid, but we made it out with this one." Kakuzu pushed me towards the orange-haired man and walked in the opposite direction where a smaller group of people were standing.

"Very well." The orange-haired man's eyes swept over me before turning to talk to the blue-haired woman next to him. "Get the hooded cloak." She nodded and then vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving me all alone with him and Grease.

I did a quick head nod as a greeting and then resumed eye contact with his oddly purple ringed eyes, still shivering.

He said nothing in return, but instead talked to the group behind me. "Itachi, you were right. I've decided she will stay." Shocked, I whip my head around.

"You. . ." I knew Itachi had joined the Akatsuki, but I just wasn't expecting to see him so soon. His red eyes were glowing faintly in the darkness, his face cold and unmoving. He slowly walked towards us with Kakuzu and another man that I did not recognize.

"So this is the girl, Itachi-san? She's very. . . cute." The large man next to Itachi chuckled, "I was expecting someone manly looking."

As they approached, I could see them more clearly. The man next to Itachi looked almost exactly like a shark, which unluckily happens to be my favorite food of all time. This is going to be interesting. "Here you go." The woman appeared at my left and gave me a black and red cloak that matched theirs, the only difference being that mine had a hood instead of a high collar. "You can change when we're sealing the Two-tails."

I raised my eyebrow at her and slung the cloak over my shoulder. "Thank you." She nodded her head and then returned at orange-hair's side.

"Tsubame Hagoromo, I am going to make this quick. Do you understand?" I nodded once, "You will be the first member of the Akatsuki mercenary group. You are loyal only to us; failure to comply will result in serious consequences. That is all." He and the blue girl both disappeared.

"See you later, bitch!" Hidan screamed and waved at me, disappearing along with the other three.

I was kicked out of the base as soon as they started; I was supervised by one of Kakuzu's clones. Not caring that I was being watched, I peeled off my jacket and shirt, which only left me in my black bra. I shrugged on my new cloak and zipped it up all the way to warm me up. "Kakuzu?"

"What?"

I readjusted the hood around my shoulders, "What would you do if I tried to escape?"

"I would kill you." What a nice guy.

"Perfect." I quickly grabbed the staff off of the ground and took a step away from him.

"Don't." he looked at me fully in the face, silently ridiculing me.

"Why not?" I took another step, "I'd rather be killed than be forced to work against my will." I took yet another step, "I'm perfectly alright with that."

His tentacles whipped around him dangerously as he stood up; I could easily tell he was getting impatient. "Is killing your family first alright?"

I froze and gripped my staff, "What do you mean?"

"The consequences that Pein mentioned didn't just refer to you; your family would probably be the first to go. Just remember that."

I paused and looked down at the damp ground, regretting that I even allowed myself to be captured. ". . .What happens now?"

He sighed again, "Just shut up."

I stared at him for a while before walking back to the rock I was sitting on before. Sulking, I sit down and lean forward, propping my head up on my hand.


	10. Chapter 10: Diffuse

After what seemed like forever, the drab stone doors of the hideout opened once more, revealing Itachi and his rather delicious looking companion. The shadow clone of Kakuzu disappeared as well. "Where is this girl, un?!" Un? What?

Looking over, I see a long blonde haired man squeeze past the shark and search around wildly. "Deidara-senpai!" Next, a man with an orange spiral mask comes barreling through the opening, flailing and yelling for his "senpai".

"That's Tsubame-chan." Kisame looks at Deidara while pointing at me with an amused look on his face. I opened my mouth to say something about the fact that he called me by my first name, but I decided to cut him some slack; whenever I looked at him, I got hungry.

"Oh!" The crazy masked man comes barreling towards me instead, grabbing my hands and holding them in his. "So you're our new friend! My name is Tobi!" He started to. . . vibrate in excitement and began to talk rapidly; something about how pretty I was and how excited he was to work with me.

"Tobi!" Deidara stomped over and snatched Tobi's hands off of mine, turning his back on me to yell at him. Taking this as my chance, I stealthily sidestep and maneuver around them. "Oi!" Freezing, I slowly turn my head at the pair of idiots I tried to get away from. "Where do you think you're going, un?!"

"I think she's trying to get away from you, senpai." At the end he added a childish giggle, scratching the back of his head and twitching slightly. He reminded me of Shouta almost.

"What did you say, un?! I'll blow you up!" He went back to yelling and trying to kill Tobi, so I continued to back up.

"Hey bitch!" Great. The original idiot is here too.

"What, Grease?" Placing my hands on my hips, I pull my mouth into a straight line and stare at him. He started to cuss me out again, but one look from Itachi shut him up.

"Say that one more time and I'll blow your head off, un!" Deidara's hand was in his little side bag on his waist; he was really serious now.

"Senpai thinks she's preeettyyy~!" Tobi pranced around in a sing-songy voice, which finally pushed Deidara to the limit.

"That's it, you idiot!" He took some clay out of his pouch, the mouth in his hand (which creeped me out) swallowing clay.

I squinted and tilted my head a bit to figure out just what he was doing; the whole process seemed kind of odd. "He has the same kekkai genkai as you." The familiar soft yet powerful voice rang in my ears, loud and clear. Finally understanding, I then realized what he was about to do to Tobi (who was running for his life at the moment).

Deidara threw little white clay spiders in Tobi's general direction and then raised one hand to do a half hand seal, completely mimicking me. He had already detonated them when I screamed "Kakusan!", which resulted in the explosive spiders fizzing and dropping to the ground like flies.

Silence.

". . .What just happened, un?"

"Tsubame-chan saved me!" Tobi ran towards me again and glomped me, sending both of us to the ground. "Thank you, Tsubame-chan!"

I struggled to get away from him, desperately trying to get out of Tobi's coma-inducing hug. "Don't call me that!"

He suddenly stopped talking and looked up at me, "What do I call you then?!"

I stopped struggling and looked up in thought. "Um. . . sempai or Hagoromo, I guess? Maybe?"

"Tsu-sempai it is!" He began to rapidly talk again, but it was cut short when shark man picked Tobi up off of me. "Kisame-senpai!"

He was lifted easily and set down far enough for me to scramble to my feet. "Thank you."

Kisame nodded and began to say something, but he was intercepted by Deidara. "Hey! You, un!" Deidara ran over to me, stopping once he was right in my face. "How'd you do that?!" I looked away and didn't answer. "Answer me, yeah!"

"How about you just shut up, yeah?" Hidan, Tobi, and Kisame broke out laughing after a brief silence, amused at the fact that I mocked him. They're so childish.

"What did you just say, un?!" He reached out to grab me, but Itachi grabbed his wrist so he couldn't go any further. Damn, he's fast.

"Don't." With one word, he silenced everyone there (with the exception of Kisame). He let go of Deidara's hand and started to walk away, motioning for me to follow. Running after him to catch up, I walk behind him to an unknown place.


	11. Chapter 11: Contract

"Wait up, Tsu-sempai!" Tobi's yelling and chasing after us the entire time we're going away, until Deidara stops him (or at least tries to). He grabs the orange-masked Akatsuki member by the back of his cloak and drags him back into the base."Itachiiii! Bring Tsu-sempai back!" His voice echoed in the rather cave-like room as he continued to be dragged until the doors were sealed shut by Kakuzu.

Itachi picked up speed and grunted angrily in response to Tobi. By now, I could easily tell that Tobi was only a nuisance to the rest of the Akatsuki. I placed my staff in the back of my new jacket, the top of it sticking up slightly past my head and my hood. Yeah, this was going to take a while to get used to. Itachi suddenly stopped once we turned a corner, grabbing my cloak sleeve and pulling me to where he stopped. "Tsubame."

"What?" I readjusted my cloak and looked at him, unsure of how to address him.

". . .How have you been? You've changed." Itachi's cold mask slowly melted right in front of me, soon revealing the old Itachi that I used to know.

I stared at him with an incredulous look on my face. Was this the same Itachi that killed all those people? "Quit playing with me, Itachi." He only smiled (if you can call it a smile?) and walked closer to me, holding out his palm to touch the top of my head. I moved away and guided his hand away from me. "Don't treat me like I'm a child."

He put his hand down but still stayed close to me. "I'm treating you like a child because you are a child."

I huffed and looked away, "Says you. If all children were like me, I'd be concerned."

He chuckled deeply and closed his eyes thoughtfully, "You have a point."

". . ." Okkaaaayyy. Things were getting awkward, and fast.

"Tsubame, do you know why you're here?"

Here we go again. "I really wasn't told very much; all I know is that I was practically kidnapped, even though I kinda sorta went along willingly, and I'm forced to stay."

He paused for a while and just looked at me, "Good. I'll give you some pieces of advice, but I'm only going to say it once. Make sure your fighting skills are up to par, do not tell anyone anything that is unnecessary," (By unnecessary, I knew he meant the details of our childhood) "do not let others take advantage of you, watch out for Deidara," What? "and if you ever meet Sasuke, do not kill him."

"You should know that I don't make any promises. What if he tries to kill me, did you ever think of that?"

He shuffled slightly back in surprise, but he soon returned to his cool, slightly scary demeanor. "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you."

A chill went through my body as I tried not to look in his eyes. His sharingan wasn't activated when we were talking, but I could feel that it definitely was now. Luckily, Hidan saved me with his extremely loud voice. "Oi bitch! Where'd you go?!"

I look at Itachi one last time (not in the eyes) before turning and running back to the front of the hideout.

* * *

"Bitch! How come you didn't tell me that you were that Hagoromo?!" Hidan was currently circling and looking me up and down with a sneer on his face. Okay, now I was confused.

"What are yo-"

"Hidan, I've told you that at least five times already that she's the one." Kauzu walked up next to us and stood next to Jashinist, ready to prove himself right.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to calm the anger that was quickly building itself within me. "Um, excuse me-"

"No you didn't! If I knew who she was, I would've sacrificed her to Jashin already!" Great. Just what I need; a crazy homicidal maniac that wears too much hair gel coming after me. "But now I understand why you got recruited; you're an animal, bitch." He ended his statement with a crazy laugh that really got on my nerves.

"Haah." I boredly listened to his rambles about how I killed a fellow member of his little cult a few years ago, even though I really don't remember fighting another psychopathic half-naked religion freak like him.

"Hagoromo, I need to speak with you." The blue-haired woman suddenly appeared in the now open doorway and then turned away after a brief stare down.

I looked at Kakuzu for an answer, but he shrugged non-enthusiastically and turned back to argue with Hidan. I gave up on him and followed the woman on the same path that Tobi followed when he was dragged. "Yes?"

She stood near the dark gray walls, her fair face hidden partially by shade. Now that I look at her up close, she's actually really beautiful. Her amber eyes shone dully while she patiently waited for me to join her in the shadows. "Pein wanted me to clarify a few things before you head out."

By Pein, I figured she was referring to the orange-haired man with the strong presence. "Is this "Pein" person everyone refers to as "leader"?"

She curtly nodded and closed her eyes, seemingly proud of her partner. "Yes."

"And you are. . .?" She opened her eyes and bore them into me, "I would give you my name first, but I presume you already know it?" I raised an eyebrow and tilted my chin slightly towards me, trying to read her.

"Konan. You will refer to me as Konan." A slightly pink tint graced her cheeks as she looked to the empty space to her left.

". . .Right. So, Konan-sama? Or Konan-san?"

She looked at me with a harsh expression, "I already said just Konan would be fine!"

I put up my hands defensively, "Alright, alright! Konan, it is." This whole "Akatsuki mercenary group" thing has really chipped away at the calm demeanor I had worked so hard to keep for the past seven years. The rather depressing mixture of the pure stress and idiots were really chipping away at my exterior. Soon, my everyday personality and my fighting personality will probably be the same soon at this rate; these people were really wearing down my patience.

"Alright then." She coughed into her fist and then briefly cleared her throat. "To start off, I need for you to pledge your allegiance to the Akatsuki."

"How, exactly, do I do that?"

"You sign a blood contract." She slid her hand gracefully into the sleeve of her Akatsuki cloak and pulled out a blood red and cream scroll tied with a black string. She unrolled it skillfully and laid the thick paper in her delicate hands all in one swift movement. "I'll explain the details of the contract to you quickly, because you have a mission to go on very soon. Basically, it states that you will be loyal only to the Akatsuki, supply help when and if we need it, and that you pledge to abandon all feelings and connection to all non-members."

"But what about-?!" I stopped myself this time, already knowing the answer. There was no way I could see my family anymore; I should know better. "Let's just get this over with."

I bit my thumb harder than what is usually required to draw blood, which made it flow freely down my thumb and onto my arm. I smeared the metallic-smelling liquid all over my hand and hovered it over the paper, hesitating. "What's wrong? Just sign it already so you can be dismissed."

Saying my secretive final goodbyes to Hideo, Shouta, my mother, Pochi, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, I aim my hand over the paper and press down after squeezing my eyes shut and grimacing. I lift my hand carefully off of the paper and open one eye to look at the handprint that will forever change my life. "My apologies, Asuma-sensei, father." I close my eyes again and say a quick prayer before focusing my eyes back on Konan, who had ignored my previous apology purposefully.

She rolled the scroll up and returned it back to its rightful place in her sleeve. "And now for the second part of his order. Pein wants you to partner up with Hidan and Kakuzu temporarily and head back to Konoha to look for the nine-tails. He figures you know the area better than most, so he's trusting you to get the job done." I groaned loudly while wiping the blood off my hand on my previously white handkerchief that I had saved from earlier. I can't believe I was still stuck with that greasy idiot. "Don't mess up this chance; Pein's testing you to see if we can still fully trust you."

I placed the now mostly red handkerchief into my pocket and sighed again. "Understood. When do we leave?"

"Immediately. Have a safe trip." She narrowed her eyes and disappeared in a flurry of paper, leaving me all alone.

Still stuck to the spot where my feet were planted, I scratch my head and think of a way to tell my new teammates about our mission. I slowly walk back out where I originally entered and yelled for Hidan and Kakuzu. "Grease! Kakuzu!" In an instant, Kakuzu showed himself, Hidan appearing a few seconds after he appeared.

"What, bitch?!"

"Well, teammate, we have a new mission appointed to us by Konan and, uh, leader." I really had no clue of how to refer to Pein, so I just referred to him the same way Kakuzu did.

"WHAT?!" Hidan yelled angrily about our new partnership and proceeded to stomp about.

"Hidan. Calm down; it was to be expected." He shifted his gaze from Hidan down to me. "Is what you said true?"

"Very much so. We are to go back to Konoha and capture Naruto, the nine-tail's jinchuuriki."

He looked at me a short while more before turning around. "Let's go then." He and I both phased away, leaving Hidan by himself, still ranting.

Noticing we were gone a few seconds too late, he groans defeatedly and chases after us. "Guys! Slow the fuck down!"

_A/N_

Hey guyyyssss. Sorry I didn't update for the past. . . week? I've been extremely stressed and sleep-deprived lately; I'm even starting to get the famous Itachi-lines around my eyes.

Please review/no flames!


	12. Chapter 12: Goodbye

"Slow down, damn it!"

"How about you just run faster? Surely a full-fledged Akatsuki member such as you can run faster than a little girl?" He growled but still went faster, heading straight for me.

"You crazy bastard, get away from me!" Instead of complying (even though I wasn't expecting him to in the first place) he smirked and chased after me in the treetops. "Get away, I said!" To my extreme discomfort, he swiped his tongue across his bottom lip as he inched closer and closer to me.

Without saying a word, another one of Kakuzu's stitches picked me up by my arm and flung me to the other side of him. "Quit, it you two."

I glared at Hidan before apologising to my savior. "My apologies, Kakuzu. Thanks for saving me from loudmouth."

"Stupid fucking bitch!" The two of us argued from both sides of Kakuzu, which eventually got to the point where he couldn't take it anymore.

"You two!" He stopped and grabbed the two of us at the same time. The whiplash caused by the sudden jerk around my throat sent me into a coughing fit. "I don't give a damn whether you two get along or not, but if you keep arguing, I'll kill both of you."

"You know you can't fucking kill me, Kakuzu!" He did his crazy laugh again and tried to knock off Kakuzu's black tentacle, but failed.

"Which is a downright shame." I held my throat and shook my head, silently cursing the two of them under my breath.

"What did you say, bitch?!" Hidan lunged at me but was stopped again by his partner.

He turned to face me while holding off Hidan. "Quit encouraging him to do something." Hidan snorted and crossed his arms, "And you, just calm down."

Eventually, the two of us (by "two of us", I mean Hidan) calmed down enough to continue our mission in silence. Bit by bit, the scenery around us began to change. The gray rocks and extremely dreary clouds morphed into lush forests and clear, sunny skies. "We need to take another route."

Kakuzu suddenly broke the rather peaceful silence and slowed down enough so that we were all moving at the same pace. "I thought we were already on another route?"

He shook his head and looked around him while avoiding the thick tree trunks. "We are, but we're too close to the path we took before. They could be waiting to ambush us."

"Good point. Which direction should we go instead?"

He kept silent for a few moments, formulating a plan. "Just follow me." He suddenly stopped and dashed to the tree to our right.

I immediately follow his footsteps and grab Hidan's sleeve to let him know that we're changing direction. His eyes widened, but he still mumbled a very quiet "thanks". Satisfied, I smile to myself and jump ahead of Hidan to catch up.

* * *

"Stop." Hidan and I complied and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" I crossed my arms across my chest and sneezed. "Great. . ." First I was kidnapped, and now I've caught a cold. Perfect.

"Something's off. . ." The three of us dropped from the branches we were standing on and looked up into the sky, walking over to the sandy clearing. A crow was circling around us directly, which was really odd; this one in particular was all alone and away from his flock.

"Woah!" While I was up gazing at the lone bird, Hidan suddenly cried out.

The two of them jumped back and avoided the shadow that had suddenly stretched out towards them. Immediately recognizing what was going on, I jump onto a nearby rock and try to point out where the assailant was hiding. Before I could pinpoint his exact location, two explosive kunai and two other foreign objects were thrown in Kakuzu's and Hidan's location.

Once the smoke cleared and I could see clearly, I looked over at my teammates and gasped. Hidan was currently attacking Kakuzu with his three-bladed scythe. A short distance from the two of them were Asuma's old blades which were used to carry out the Shadow Imitation Jutsu. "Hmph. . ." Kakuzu detached his arm from his shoulder and sent it under the ground.

"Kakuzu! I can't stop!" Hidan's scythe was now directly above the stitched man and ready to come down at any second. Before he could receive any damage, he freed himself from the jutsu with his detached arm. "Bitch, get your ass over here!"

I jumped down from my place on the rock as fast as I humanly could and sidestepped over to the pair while keeping my eyes on the enemy. I could see Shikamaru clearly now, hidden in the forest underbrush along with the rest of Team 10. I avoided their gaze and mentally prepared myself to fight them, but the sudden flash of blue light and the familiar sound of flesh ripping averted my attention to Kakuzu. "Kakuzu!" I move toward the open area to save him, but he gave me a look that specifically said "Don't come near me".

"Sharingan Kakashi!"

He cried out in pain, the lightning piercing his flesh. "Earth is weak against lightning," Kakashi kept his hand in Kakuzu's body for a few seconds more until he ripped it out, causing Kakuzu to fall to the ground face first. "You're next." He looked at Hidan and raised his hand, activating his jutsu once more. Before he attacked Hidan, who was still rooted to the spot by Shikamaru's technique, he looked in my direction. To my extreme dislike, I saw that one of his eyes had Sharingan. "What are you doing? This is your chance to escape!" Despite his yells, I quickly push Hidan out of the reach of Shikamaru's jutsu and jump away to safety. "What?!"

Just as he was about to lunge forward and attack us, Kakuzu rose up off the ground and kicked Kakashi back as hard as he could. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, unable to comprehend what had just happened? Did Kakuzu really just rise up from the dead?! "Just watch." Hidan looked on somewhat calmly and tried to keep watch on the enemy on both sides of him.

Kakuzu tore off part of his clothes to reveal the upper half of his body, which covered in stitches. He turned around and showed his back, which had four masks of different colors embedded in it. "Unfortunately for you, I have four others hearts to go through. Each individual one extends my lifespan." He split his back open (yes, split) and four monsters materialized, but one withered away immediately after appearing. The look on the Konoha ninjas' faces were pure horror; I couldn't blame them. Internally, I was freaking out.

"What?!" I harshly whispered to Hidan, who was slightly smirking.

"Just watch, I said!" Hidan dashed forward and started to attack Kakashi as a distraction for Kakuzu. While this was going on, I felt a presence close to me and quickly turned, kunai in hand.

Choji visually faltered but still continued to reach his hand out towards me, hoping to bring me back with him. "Tsubame-san, let's go!"

His hand didn't stop reaching out for me, so I did what I felt was right. Weaving the appropriate hand signs, I lean back as far as I can and make the sign for the Tiger. "Ryu Kabe no Jutsu!" I took a deep breath and exhaled, fire spewing out of my mouth as I breathed out. It successfully made a wall of fire approximately the size of a billboard between Choji and I, which only partially burned his hand.

"Bitch, watch where you're spewing that shit!" Hidan repeatedly stomped on the hem of his jacket that had caught fire, extremely pissed.

"I would apologise for my mistake, but I'd be lying." Falling backwards, I quickly set my foot down to keep myself from hitting the ground.

Kakuzu fired two bolts of lightning at Choji (after he recovered) and Shikamaru, but it was blocked by Kakashi. He centered the same lighting attack he did on Kakuzu on both of his hands, cancelling out his attack. Countering Kakashi's deflection, the next attack was a blast of fire, which they successfully avoided. "Why, Tsubame-chan?!" Ino was pretty much close to tears.

"It's none of your concern." I dodged the shadow that was coming my way, but I was happy to see that Hidan was lucky enough to get caught. "Good work, Hidan."

"Bitch, I'll kill you!" Shikamaru glared at me one last time before retreating into the thick forest, taking Hidan with him.

"Tsubame-chan!" Looking up again, I see Ino slowly advancing forward, tears now falling from her blue eyes.

Kakashi put his arm out to stop her, glaring at me the same way Shikamaru did. "Hagoromo-san, what's going on? You do know if you continue to do this, you will be regarded as a S-rank criminal and a missing-nin."

I looked down and fiddled with one of my sleeves. "I'm fully aware. . ."

"What about Shouta?! What about your family?!" Choji stepped forward so that he was beside Ino and cradled his burnt hand. "This is ridiculous, Tsubame-san!"

I was about to say something, but Kakuzu grabbed my hood and pulled me to his face so that we could speak somewhat privately. "Go and help Hidan before you get too emotionally involved. Now."

I looked at him sadly but started to walk away anyway. "Too late." He turned away from me, disapproving of my feelings. "And yes, I do care about Shouta and my mother. . .That's the only reason why I'm doing this in the first place." Taking advantage of their confusion, I try to slip away, but a sudden cry of pain from Kakuzu stopped me.

He was hunched over and clutching his chest in pain, although no damage was inflicted on him. "Dammit Hidan. . .What are you doing?"

I hurriedly jumped around the group in front of us and made my way over to Hidan. By the time I arrived, Hidan was over a pit with explosive tags attached to him, ready to explode at any moment. Instinctively, I threw the kunai I had in hand directly at the back of Shikamaru's head. At the last possible moment, he deflected it with a kunai that had an attached explosive tag. In mid-air, I grabbed the end of my staff and pulled it out, fully extended. "Hagoromo?!" he blocked my staff with the kunai in his hand and detached the note from the kunai, dropping it onto the grass.

"Nara." I kept my staff where it was, but kept pressing forward. The weapon in his hand got dangerously close to his face, so he aborted the miniature showdown and ducked under me to get away. I kicked him square in the nose, sending his face flying backwards. "Kakusan!" I quickly jump over to Hidan and free him, yelling out to disarm the paper bombs. Slightly limping, he leans onto me for support.

"Took you long enough, bitch!" I purposefully drop him onto the ground and then look away as if nothing had happened. My slight bliss was interrupted when I saw the shadow stretch towards us for the upteenth time.

I expertly swing my staff around so that it caught the inside of Grease's robe and swung upwards as hard as I could with both hands, jumping out of the way once my task was complete. I looked up to see if Hidan was okay, but Shikamaru took advantage of my distraction and threw shuriken and kunai aiming directly for the center of my face. I spun the staff in front of me, deflecting the projectile pieces of cold metal. Pressing the first hidden button, I swept the staff so that the trap door on one end of it could open. "Don't interfere." I said the last command almost silently, just wanting to escape my current situation. It pissed me off that I couldn't do anything about it; it made me even more mad that I had to betray the now deceased Asuma's students. The small, cone-like daggers shot out of my staff and exploded on contact, reducing the inquisitive Shikamaru Nara to a tattered mess.

He was slightly bent over, one hand clutching his stomach. His nose was still bleeding and more than likely broken; I hit him pretty hard. His breathing was ragged, but his glare was full of pure hate for both me and the Akatsuki. "You fools." He suddenly smiled, which put me on alert. Apparently when he threw the kunais and shuriken, there were brand new explosion notes attached to some of them. When I misdirected them, they had lodged themselves directly into the nearby trees.

He wiped some of the blood off of his lips and made the Snake hand sign, which immediately detonated them. I wasn't expecting the explosions, thus I didn't get to diffuse them in time. Smoke completely covered the area around me, obstructing my vision. I jumped up to the nearest branch to get away from the debris and then made my way up so that I was above the treetops. "How annoying." On the way back down to earth, I stopped on the tallest branch I could find and watched as Shikamaru retreated back to the rest of the group.

I sighed in partial annoyance as my eyes swept to the area underneath me, trying to find Hidan. "Bitch, help me!" To my far left, I saw hidan on his stomach struggling to pull himself up. My head snapped back to the front when I heard the sound from a huge explosion in the direction of the battlefield.

"Hidan, I'll be right back; don't move."

"What are you talking about? I can't even get off this fucking branch, so how can I fucking go anywhere?!" I left him in his rage and jumped closer to the battlefield, just in time to see Kakuzu's demise.

A bluish-white lighted dome had just dispersed, fully showing the quickly dying Kakuzu. It looked as if the chakra emitted from the blast was destroying him from the inside, thousands of needles piercing him at once. I watched in horror until the spectacle was fully over. His body hung in the air for a few seconds until falling lifelessly to the ground, never to get up again. "Well, I guess it's time." I made it over to Hidan in record time and stuck my staff back in its rightful place.

"What the hell just happened?!" He looked at me confusedly as I wordlessly slung his arm around my shoulders and put my hand around his waist. "Hey! Answer me, damn it!"

I ran as quickly as I could in the opposite direction of the catastrophe, my mood even worse than before. "Kakuzu's dead, Hidan."


	13. Chapter 13: Sin

"What?! The bastard finally died?!" This idiot.

"Your partner just died and that's all you have to say? Nothing else?" I kept glancing at him with an evil glint in my eye, seriously tempted to just drop him and hightail it back to base by myself.

"Well yeah! That fucker really got on my nerves; he would never stop talking about fucking money." Sighing, I avert my attention back to the task at hand.

"We're going to stop for a for a short while." I look behind us and try to detect any chakra.

"Bitch, no! I'm not even tired!"

I immediately stop moving and give him the best glare I could manage. "Of course you're not tired! I've been the one carrying your fat self!"

He laughed noisily and stared at me. "Hah! Don't even try to act all fucking almighty; your lame ass can't even cuss!" He shook, trying to hold back a laugh. "What was that?! "Your fat self"?!" He laughed some more but stopped when I started to slowly let go of him.

"Cursing is uncouth and unclassy." I hoisted him up again and grunted. "Not like you know anything about being classy."

"Whatever, bitch." He looked away from me and stuck out his bottom lip, obviously miffed. "Let's stop now."

I stopped immediately and craned my neck so that I could completely see his face. "Who are you to tell me what to do?" I began to run again without telling him, which made the front of his feet hit every branch we hopped onto.

"Bitch, hold on!" I ignoring him, I continue to half drag him until we got to a rocky clearing with a small stream.

"Happy now?" I detached myself from him and dumped him on the ground, moving my foot out of the way. Leaving him on the ground, I wipe my hands on my chest and walk over to the small stream to clean up.

"I'm hungry. . ." I paused mid-sip, my hands cupped to my mouth.

"But I thought you didn't need food? You are immortal, after all." I took a nice, long sip and leaned back once I was finished.

"Just because I don't fucking die, it doesn't mean I don't get hungry, bitch!" He yelled at me and pounded his fist on the ground.

I sighed and brought my face close to the water's surface to wash up; it was mostly caked with a rather delicious mixture of soot and dust. "Well, I can't help you out with that one; I'm starving as well." I viciously rubbed at my face, desperately wanting to get clean. "I've had close to nothing to eat all day."

"Well, great." He moved closer to me so that were side by side. "So I have to fucking wait?"

I scrubbed my face and half-ignored him. "Just like me, yes." I shook the water off of my hands and dried my face with my cloak.

"This is all your fault." When I turned my head, he pouted and flicked me off; this guy acted so much like a child. I sighed but scooted back, sitting on the ground with my legs out in front of me. The two of us sat in silence, saving our energy for the task ahead of us. "Aaaahhhhh sssooo hhunnggrryyy." Hidan's stomach growled, but I ignored him; I just wanted to rest.

Letting my mind wander, I thought of how Shouta and my mother would react once they heard I was now affiliated with the Akatsuki; not only that, but now they were on their own. My plan was to slowly give Shouta some voice in the running of our clan, but it happened quicker than I expected; he was pretty much the only official voice left. Also, when things were more under control, I would start my goal to find someone to live the rest of my life and start a family with. "Hey, Hidan?"

He turned his head slightly but didn't look at me. "What now?"

"Do you want to have a family?"

His head whipped around so fast, I thought it was going to fall off. Again. "What?!" Suddenly he got a perverted glint in his eye and leaned into me, putting an arm around my shoulders as well. "Daring, aren't ya, bitch?"

I pushed his hand off of my shoulders calmly and quickly got on one knee, punching him as hard as I could underneath his chin. "Don't even try that with me." He flew backwards and almost landed in the water, but he twisted himself so that he landed on a blunt rock instead. Once he recovered, he ran over to me and started to stomp and yell, but I just sat back down and brought my knees to my chest and hugged them. "I didn't mean it that way, stupid!" I mumbled and embarrassedly shifted my gaze away from Grease's direction.

"Well you should've said so, stupid. . ." He grumbled and sat down to my left, further away from me than he was before. Silence dominated once more, until Hidan broke the awkward atmosphere. "I haven't really thought that far."

I laid my cheek on one of my knees and looked at him as I would. . . as a companion, almost. "What are you talking about?"

He groaned and scratched the top of his head. "About family, stupid!" I kept quiet and respectfully waited for him to continue. "I have the until the end of eternity to find someone, anyway. " I could tell he was extremely serious; he didn't curse once throughout the whole explanation.

"Can you just choose anyone?"

"No. Well, yes but no." He scratched his head and stuck his bottom lip out. "I mean, I'd like for the one I love to have the same beliefs as I do, but. . . Never mind. It's not important." He dropped his hand onto his lap and looked down at it, deep in thought. "What about you?"

"Well," I put my chin back on top of my knees, "I want to have lots of children, as a matter of fact. I want some future heirs."

"You mean you would have them with anyone, as long as you got pregnant?!" Instead of getting overly angry, I hit him lightly on the arm.

"No, you idiot!"

He rubs his arm mockingly and slaps the top of my head. "The only reason you fucking said that is 'cause of Deidara!"

"What the heck is with you guys with me and Deidara?!" Standing up, I knit my brows close together and stretch my arms after sneezing. "Stupid cold. . ." I motion for Hidan to come closer and latch onto him as I did before, except this time in a much better mood.

* * *

We still haven't arrived at the base. The sun has fully set, so we no longer have a light source to go on. "Bitch, you okay?" Hidan looked up at me with his purple eyes, somewhat concerned.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." I was far from fine. I was completely exhausted and my appetite had escalated from starving to ravenous; I couldn't even hold my eyes open long enough to see where I was going.

"You don't look-" Hidan and I stopped when we both heard the same voice in our head; it was Pein.

"You two, report immediately. Why can't I reach Kakuzu?"

We looked at each other before I answered him in our head. "Kakuzu's dead, sir."

". . .That's disappointing. Did you at least get the nine-tail's jinchuuriki?"

"No, sir. I could only manage to save Hidan."

He paused for a short while, slightly unhappy of my answer. "Can you make it back to base, or do you need someone to come and get you?"

"Help would be appreciated; Hidan's leg is wounded and I do not have any military ration pills."

"Very well; Itachi and Kisame will be there to assist you two. Don't move." When he gave his final command, he broke off the connection.

_A/N_

Thanks for reading! Please review/no flames!


	14. Chapter 14: Rest

I felt a great wave of relief surge through me when I was finally able to put Hidan down; I needed another rest. I sat on the branch the was below the one Hidan was on and relaxed with my back up against the trunk of the tree. "Is your leg alright, Hidan?"

He hung his legs off of the side and spread them wide apart, swinging them occasionally. "Quit worrying about me, shithead. It's fine."

I weakly smile and lightly massage my temples, feeling the start of a headache. "Sure, sure."

"Tsubame, we're here." Sliding my head over so I could get a better look at whoever had spoken, I couldn't make out their face; they were moving too fast for me to follow.

"Dammit, Kisame! Don't touch me!" I could hear scuffling sounds above me between Kisame and Hidan; he was way too hard to control, that man.

"Hiddddaannnn. Just calm down, alright?" Itachi suddenly appeared in front of me and shoved a few almonds in my mouth, lightly smacking my face so that I could register that I had to chew it.

"Do you need to be carried?" Itachi leaned down in front of me and inspected me, checking for any injuries that I might have sustained.

I sat for a while and then put my head in my hands, groaning. "I'll be okay, I just have a cold." I snorted the mucus back into my nose and then shakily stood up, grabbing the trunk for support."Itachi, what's going to happen when I go back to base?"

"He'll probably give you a break since it's your first day. You'll be put to work again as soon as the sun rises." He grabbed the fabric on my shoulder and pulled me forward to get me to move.

* * *

We arrived at the base fairly quickly; I couldn't really judge the distance or time because of my cold. It was getting pretty bad. "Achoo!"

"I'll have you take some cold medicine once you report." Itachi glanced back at me once, and then stayed silent the rest of the way.

"Thanks." Rubbing my nose, I peeled Kisame away from Hidan (who was extremely grateful) and allowed him to walk on is own.

"Finally! I didn't think I'd be able to walk on my fucking own any time soon." He still walked with a slight limp, but he was pretty much fine otherwise.

"You crazy fool." I shook my head while smiling and crossed my arms over my chest once we entered the cold, gray room once more.

Pein and Konan were both waiting for us, pausing their private conversation to hear from us. "You two are dismissed." Kisame and Itachi immediately left, leaving behind nothing; not even a trace of dust or smoke. "Step forward."

The two of us walked forward side by side and waited for further instructions. "What exactly happened?" Konan looked at me when she asked the question, so I cut Hidan off and answered instead.

"When we were infiltrating Konoh- I mean, the Fire country, we suddenly ambushed by the ninja Kakuzu and Hidan encountered before on their previous mission. They fought us almost immediately, and one of the ninja used his shadow technique to separate the two. I stuck with Kakuzu and fought until he told me to go ahead and assist Hidan instead; he thought he could handle them by himself. By the time I had rescued Hidan and checked on Kakuzu, the final blow had already been dealt. I was able to escape with Hidan away from the rest of the ninja safely, without any troubles."

". . .Would you call this mission a success or a failure?" Pein looked at me, face and demeanor unforgiving.

"It was a complete failure." This is truly how I felt; two of the members of our squad didn't even get remotely close to the target. If this was a mission back home, I would have definitely categorised it the same way.

He stayed quiet for a little bit, seemingly conversing with Konan telepathically. "Very well then. Since you have admitted your fault and have shown some worth, I will pass this mission off as a warning; do not fail me again. That goes to you too, Hidan" He raised his hand and waved it slightly. "Dismissed."

Hidan and I immediately excused ourselves by teleporting just outside the outside of the cave, both of us mentally exhausted. "Well, g'night." Hidan makes a move to leave, but I quickly grab the headband around his neck and pull him down.

"Hidan! You're just going to leave me here alone?!" I look down at him pleadingly, begging him to stay; I don't have anywhere to go.

"Yup. Now let go, bitch!" He smacks my hand to make me let go and then jumps of into the darkness, making sure I saw his smirk before he left.

Frozen in my spot, I sigh and look around, unsure of where to go. "Why are you still here?" Turning around, I smile and run up to my childhood friend.

"Itachi! I need some help."

He raised his eyebrows but then quickly readjusted his face. "I thought you didn't like me?"

"Yeah, well. . ."

He sighed and tugged at my clothes again, guiding me to a place where I could hopefully sleep. Not even a few miles from the base was a small clearing in the rocks; even though it was so well hidden, I knew there was something there hidden in the genjutsu Itachi had made. "Kai." Immediately the area started to dissolve, revealing a small metal shack right in the middle. The shack, in all its entirety, was barely bigger than my living room. "Come on." He opened the door without having to use a key and stepped in, using a match to light the sole light source in the entire area.

"I should've known." The only objects that he had allowed into the tiny space were a bunk bed, a wooden chest, and a small shelf that stuck out of the wall.

Ignoring my comment, he guides me over to the lower bunk and commands me to sit down, walking over to the small chest afterwards. He pulled out a small bottle, a mesh shirt, and a white normal tee. "Put this on over this." He threw me the articles of clothing and tinkered in his chest once he saw that I caught it. I unzipped my cloak and laid it on the bed next to me and then put on the black mesh shirt over my undergarment, putting the white tee on after I finished.

"Done." I lifted both of my arms for emphasis, watching as he took a few steps in my direction and handed the vial of perfectly measured cold medicine to me, just as he had promised me before. Wordlessly, I drink it all in one shot and try to swallow. I had a hard time swallowing; it was so bitter, I had to resist vomiting. He patted my back to help me choke it down, and eventually I did.

"Just rest here tonight, I want to keep a watch on you."

Already knowing that I wouldn't be able to refuse, I sit on the bed and move my cloak to the foot of the bed. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll be sure to find my own shelter sometime tomorrow."

As I undid the covers, Itachi spoke up one last time before sitting in the far corner of the room, facing me. "I already have a place picked out where you can stay. Goodnight, Tsubame."

I look at him out of the corner of my eye one last time before focusing on falling asleep. Once my head hit the pillow, I began my uncomfortable and nightmare-filled sleep.


	15. Chapter 15: Frustration

"-in my bed?"

Grunting, I lay on my back and gently place my forearm over my eyes, shielding the small amount of light coming in through my eyelids. "Nrgh?"

"Ah, she's awake." I slid my arm onto my forehead and squinted my eyes, trying to see what was happening. A shark was currently floating in midair, swimming its way towards me. The shark opened and closed its mouth, making no noise. I closed my eyes again and rubbed, making sure I was actually seeing this.

Thankfully, I was.

Sitting up and wiping the drool off of my mouth with the hem of my shirt, I silently thank whichever deity made this happen. I swung my legs over the side of the bottom bunk and took out a kunai from my weapons pouch. "Thanks for the meal!" I leaped and pounced, but the shark hovered away so that he was just out of reach. I quickly recovered and then pounced again, snagging him by the fin and weighing him down. Greedily I place the blade down by his neck, ready to kill; I didn't want to mutilate the aquatic animal while it was still alive.

"Taubame, no!" I paused and looked at Itachi behind me, my patience wearing thin.

"What?! It's a perfectly good shark!" I gestured to the mysterious floating shark underneath me with my kunai, my eyebrows knit tightly together in annoyance.

Itachi sighed and brought his left hand to his forehead. "Look closely at this 'shark'."

I snorted in annoyance and rolled my eyes. Turning my head and squinting, I observed the shark the closest I could manage. "Can you get off of me? Maybe?"

"Kisame!" I got off of him the fastest that I could manage, putting my weapon behind my back to hide it. "I'm so sorry!"

Kisame chuckled and shook his head, silently forgiving me. "What was that all about?"

"Her favorite food is shark." Kisame howled with laughter, throwing his head back and wiping tears from his beady eyes. Eventually Itachi became fed up with him. "Did Pein call us?"

Kisame's laughing started to taper off, and soon he was back to his usual demeanor. "Pein wants Hagoromo-chan to go with Deidara and Tobi to go capture the three-tails."

My shoulders slumped and I grabbed my cloak off of the bed. "Where are they now?"

"Are they waiting for her?" I shrugged into the article of clothing and zipped it all the way back up.

"Yup. They've been waiting for about half an hour."

". . ." I burst through the front door, eyes wide with fear. Why can't I ever get up in the morning on time when it mattered?!

"Tsu-sempai!" Tobi spotted me in the clearing and waved to try and get my attention.

"Hurry up, un!" Deidara held up his fist and yelled at me, hopping onto his clay bird once he was satisfied.

I ran up to where they were waiting and dodged Tobi. "What's our mission?"

He crossed his arms and gave me a glare out of the corner of his eye. "We have to go and capture the three-tails, yeah."

I dodged him again. "I was assigned to capture another tailed beast? I still don't understand why you guys need those things. . ."

"I can't believe he gave you another chance, either." I snarled and tried to punch him, but my guard was down long enough for me to be tackled my Tobi.

"Tsu-sempai, no violence!" He sat up from his place on the ground and looked down at me while shaking his finger. Did not he realize that this entire organization was centered on violence?

I shook my head and stood up, stumbling slightly once I was on my feet. "Alright then." Lightly tapping my head and blinking rapidly, I tried to clear my vision. "We should get going."

"You don't have to tell me that, yeah!"

Tobi stood up and skipped over so that we were side by side, his arms swinging happily. "Senpai! Do we get our own glob of dirt too?!"

"It's not dirt, un! IT'S ART!" He balled his fists and yelled once more; he was really starting to get on my nerves.

"Whatever you say, senpai!" Deidara put his face into his sleeve, fake crying in extreme frustration. "Let's go already!" Tobi hopped onto Deidara's creation and stomped on it to get it to fly.

"Tobi!" Deidara punched Tobi in his masked face and sent him flying to the ground, which he quickly recovered from. He crawled over to me and latched onto my leg, crying and whining.

"Deidara-san, just make him his own bird."

The artist narrowed his blue eye that wasn't covered by his hair. "Why should I?" I raised my eyebrow and gave him an 'are you kidding me' look. Eventually we ended our miniature staring contest with Deidara, who had closed his eye and sighed in defeat. "Fine, un." He put one of his hands into his bag and begrudgingly pulled it out, the mouth on his palm chewing the clay.

"Tsu-sempai!" I placed my hands on my hips and looked down at Tobi. "Thank you~!" He stood up and hugged my head, squishing my facial features.

I pushed him off as hard as I could and panted, trying to recover the oxygen that was lost when he hugged me. "You're welcome, Tobi-san." Deidara cleared his throat and looked at us expectantly, proud to show off his work. The bird was extremely identical to the one he made for himself, but this one had a rather weird growth on his back. I stared at the creation wide-eyed; it was actually quite beautiful now that I see it up close. "Wow. . . It's beautiful, Deidara-san."

He blushed slightly and looked at one of his palm hands, suddenly interested. "Thanks. . . yeah."

I nodded and smiled at him, but then pointed to the strange growth on its back. "What's that?"

His face immediately darkened when he looked at Tobi, who currently was trying to climb up the side of Deidara's clay model. "I'm going to use that to hold him down."

"Ah." We stood there awkwardly for a few more seconds before Tobi broke the silence.

"Tsu-sempai, will you ride with me?!" He spoke up from his place up on the bird's head, which he was currently hanging off of.

I instantly paled; I really didn't want to babysit. I looked at Deidara with a pleading expression, hoping he would spare me the trouble. The artist shifted uncomfortably and tried to look away, but he kept glancing at me. I held my hands up and shuffled closer to him. "Fine, un!" He turned toward Tobi and pointed his finger. "Tobi! You'll be riding alone, so behave!"

Tobi stopped climbing immediately and stared wide-eyed at us (at least, I imagined that he was; I couldn't see any of his face). "What?! Nnnooooooo! I want Tsu-sempai to ride with me!"

I jumped next to Deidara and grabbed his arm. "Fly. Now."

He winced and tried to pry my vice-like grip off of him, but it was no use. "What are yo-?!"

I scrunched up my face so that it was as intimidating as I could possibly manage and tightened my grip ever so slightly. "NOW."

He leaned away from me and rapidly nodded his head, turning it only to see where he was going once he took off. I released my hand off of him and gave him a warning look before making my way over to the tail of the creature, flipping my hood up to prevent my hair from whipping around in the wind.

* * *

"We need to come down." Deidara stood up from his place in the front and silently commanded for the creature to descend, which it immediately obeyed.

Its claws touched the ground and then we both stepped off, landing silently on the ground in the middle of the small clearing in the wooded area. Deidara started to walk away from the area in which the bird had previously been, but I stayed where I was and looked into the sky. "Where's Tobi's bird?"

He gave me a bored expression and gestured to the treeline behind us. "I made the other one disappear too."

My jaw dropped, which made him chuckle. "That's not funny!" I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to tell him off, but a rustling in the trees caught my attention.

"Senpai! Tsu-sempai!" Tobi suddenly appeared out into the clearing, completely obliterating the trees and shrubs in his path.

"It was Deidara-san's doing!" I cringed and pointed both of my index fingers at the perpetrator.

"Hey, un!" Deidara silently panicked when he saw Tobi skip towards him, fear evident on his lightly tanned face.

"What's Tsu-sempai talking about?"

Deidara and I exchanged a skeptical yet concerned look; I'm rather worried about this man's mental health. "It was. . . nothing, I guess." Deidara cleared his throat and gestured to the path in front of us. "Yes, yes, yes." I jogged to catch up with the two members I was paired with temporarily and straightened my hood.

After about thirty minutes of walking, I was dangerously close to murdering Tobi. Whatever wild idea I had about Tobi being relatively similar to my brother was instantly crushed now that I had to deal with him. There was no way to control him; no matter the threats or violence Deidara or I made, there was no stopping the enigma that was Tobi. "Senpai look! A dango shop!" Tobi spazzed and swung his arms wildly, shouting in his usual childish tone. "Let's stop there~! I'm so ttiiiirrrreeeddd~!" He ran off unsteadily in the direction of the shop and left Deidara and I alone to mentally prepare ourselves for the rest of the mission; this was only the beginning.

"It's not going to get any better, even if we wait." I let my eyes droop and I trudged after Tobi, regretting what I got myself into.

"At least you don't have to deal with him everyday, yeah." He began to begrudgingly walk as well, soon catching up with me.

I shuddered and wrapped my arms around my upper stomach, as if I were cold. "I really don't comprehend how a human could even manage that."

"I'll take that as a compliment, un."

Tobi sat down to the far left of the chair we sat on, kicking his legs and humming an unrecognizable tune. I sat down on the opposite end before the blonde-haired third member of our little group could; I wanted to get as far away from him as I could. Deidara sighed and plopped down pretty close to me, also wanting to get away from the masked man-child. The old lady greeted us after a few minutes. Deidara and Tobi both ordered Mitarashi dango, but I opted for Teppanyaki dango instead.

After a few seconds (seconds, mind you), the elderly woman came back out with our orders. I smiled and thanked her, and then stared down at them in wonder. The sauce that covered them was lighter than what I was used to. "Woah~! It looks delicious!" I averted my calculating stare to Tobi, who was currently beginning to indulge in his dango. "Thanks for the meal!" Deidara and I stared and squinted our eyes at Tobi as he lifted up his mask to eat, trying to steal a glance of his face.

The moment was ruined, however, when he speedily turned his back to us and made smacking noises as he consumed his food. My fellow victim started to chew on his dango, chewing slowly and still staring at the masked man. Eventually, I lost interest in the two of them and started to take small nibbles of my food. Until Tobi finished his first stick. "That was so good~!" He played with the wooden stick in his hands and looked at the two of us through the hole in his mask. "Senpai, that looks exactly like your work, doesn't it?" He gestured with the stick to a medium-sized white lantern that was shaped like a pig; I had to admit, it was actually kind of adorable. "Then doesn't that make your work. . . a cheap rip-off?"

Oh no. "Tobi-san, run."

Tobi giggled and tilted his head. "What, Tsu-sempai?" Before I could answer, Tobi looked at Deidara's face and flinched, just now realizing that he had said something wrong. Without saying another word, Tobi jumps up and runs as fast as he can, a billowing trail of dust following him.

"I'll blast you to hell!" By the time Deidara jumped up, I was already behind the shop, trying to enjoy my meal in peace. As I chewed contently, I heard a loud explosion.

"Deidara-san! What'd you do?!" I yelled from my place in the back, too immersed in my food to go out and check.

"I blew the bastard up, un!"

I paused mid bite. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"Nope. He escaped death, but the explosion sent him flying somewhere, yeah." He walked around the shop so that we could talk face to face.

"Shouldn't we go get him, then?" I swallowed my last dango and walked past Deidara, returning the plate to the grandma and paying for all three of us. "I really just want to get this mission over with."

He groaned and pushed my shoulder to make me move out of his way, slinking past me with his bottom lip jutting out in pure, undeniable frustration.


	16. Chapter 16: Explosions

"Ah." When we got to the area where the three-tails was rumored to be, I stopped walking immediately.

Tobi and Deidara stopped as well, pausing in their bickering. "What's wrong, un?"

Nervously, I lift part of my arm and point over to the edge of the lake. "The ANBU are already here." The two looked in the general direction I was motioned towards. Two ANBU members were currently immersed in working on a seal to contain the the three-tails; they haven't noticed us yet. "What are we going to do?"

Deidara defiantly crossed his arms and looked at me, trying his best to ignore Tobi. "We're going to kill them, obviously."

"Leave that to me, senpai!" Tobi got in a ridiculous looking position and tried to run, but he was stopped by Deidara.

"Wait." He turned back to me and smiled mischievously. "You're going to take care of the other one, yeah."

I glared at him, seriously wanting to blow his pretty little head off. "That's not my job."

"Your job is to help us on our mission; they're in our way, so they need to be killed to complete our mission. Now do it."

Tobi ran up to Deidara and cupped his hands around his face, trying to be cute. "Senpai! I'll go kill them, so give Tsu-sempai a break~!" I raised my eyebrow and smiled at "senpai".

"Shut up, un! She's going to do it."

"So now it's both of them?!" I balled my fists and narrowed my eyes; this man was worse than Kakuzu (in my opinion). He only smiled as a response. "Fine. If that's what your highness wants, then so be it." I made way to the dense forestry to our right and set out for the ANBU members.

"Good luck, sempai!" Ignoring Tobi, I circled the lake in the trees, my heart pounding. I slowed once I got within thirty meters of the pair, who hadn't even noticed I was there yet. Well, if they have noticed me, they're doing an excellent job of hiding it.

"I'm sorry." The black-clad strangers turned around sharply, surprised by my voice. But, they were too late. My small hands grabbed at the center of their white masks, cracking them as I gripped them harder and harder.

"You! Hagoromo!" The member to my right gripped my wrist and made a move to brandish the sword on his back, but I tightened my grasp as a warning. He cried out in pain dropped his hands slowly, holding it up to prevent suspicion.

"So was that all a hoax?" The other appeared and sounded relatively calm; he wasn't fighting the hold I had on him. At least one of them had common sense.

"What are you talking about?"

"The "kidnapping"."

I raised my eyebrow in feigned surprise and shook him a little bit. "No, it was real. I'm just staying with them until I'm allowed to leave."

He seemed to think this over a little bit, staying quiet until he asked another question. "Do you want to stay?"

I huffed, "Of course not. But I'm not leaving just yet."

"Then why don't you jus-" I cut him off by squeezing as hard as I could.

"Te no Bakudan no Justu." Both of the ninjas' heads exploded right under my palms, brain matter, blood, smoke, and fragments of mask spraying out in every direction. They lifelessly dropped to the ground when it was all over, the blood spilling from their now open necks. "I hate when this happens. . ." With my fingernails, I pluck the fragments of skull and flesh from the front of my cloak and face. I then rubbed my sleeve over my face to remove any spot that I might have missed. "May you rest in peace." I swiftly kicked the two of them into the lake one at a time, a stream of fresh blood following them as they peacefully fell to the bottom of the lake. I closed my eyes for a good minute, silently saying a few prayers before making my way back. "Done."

Deidara and Tobi stood there frozen, but for different reasons. "That was. . . so artistic, un!" Deidara's eye sparkled in excitement, finally able to witness my technique.

Tobi, on the other hand, was shaking with fear. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but he was pretty good at acting if he truly was. "Tsu-sempai! Why'd you have to blow up their heads?!"

I shrugged and closed both of my eyes, trying to be modest. "I specialize in close-combat; it just makes sense."

A rumbling from the lake interrupted our conversation abruptly, the three of us shaking and losing our footing from the shock waves. The three-tails surfaced from his resting place, most likely awakened due to the scent of the blood I spilled. "Senpai, what do we do?!"

"Who cares what he thinks? Just knock him out." I regained my balance quickly and jumped onto the water's surface, distributing a small amount of chakra to my feet as I ran.

"Oi!" Deidara yelled and hopped on his new clay bird that he just made. Tobi also followed after us, running in order to catch up with me. As the three of us approached the creature, I could tell that it was getting annoyed with us.

"Uwahhhh!" Tobi almost immediately halted and turned left, avoiding the giant tailed creature. I also stopped, fleeing in the opposite direction.

"Just keep running, Tobi! Hagoromo, back me up!" Deidara barked commands at the two of us from his safe place in the air.

As the three-tails chased after Tobi, Deidara and I came up behind them to help. I jumped in mid-air in order to jump onto its back, but Deidara knocked me aside with his bird. "Don't get in the way, un!" I landed safely on my feet and ran backwards away from the fight, scowling. My angry face soon turned to shock when I saw the size of the clay fish Deidara had made next; it was even bigger than the tailed beast. Too fast for me to fully comprehend, the fish swallowed the beast whole, trapping it instantly. "Katsu!" The explosion sent overpowering waves of smoke and air billowing over all three of us, obstructing our vision. Deidara's bird flapped its wings as hard as it could, succeeding in clearing most of the smoke. Once it mostly cleared, we could see exactly how much damage his explosion had dealt.

"Amazing, senpai!" Tobi stopped running and waved his hands at Deidara, who was ignoring him. I, on the other hand, was studying the catastrophe that was the three-tailed beast. It slightly sank below the water's surface, unconscious and unaware of its fate with its captors.

"Hmph." Deidara crossed his arms and smiled, proud of his art.

"That was impressive." I didn't think he could smile any wider, but surprisingly he did. "Shall we get going, then?"

* * *

"Good work, Hagoromo. I heard what all you did during the mission." I lazily looked over from my spot on the rock Kakuzu was sitting on the first day I got here, still somewhat lost in thought. Pein stood in the doorway, patiently waiting for me to realize what he was talking about.

"Thank you, sir." I knew he was talking about the run-in I had with the black ops members at the lake.

"You made the right choice, and because of that, you will get a high-priority mission with Deidara and Tobi. You are to carry out an assassination that was listed by one of our most important clients in the land of water. Be proud; you've earned it." Without saying another word, he disappeared. On the outside, I was calm, composed, and thoughtful; I sat with my legs crossed and my fist held up my chin. Slowly standing up, I brushed off my backside before standing completely still, hands by my side.

"Bitch!" Out of the corner of my eye, I see Hidan running over to me while waving. I didn't respond, I just kept staring straight ahead. "I heard you got a really good mission! . . . Hello? HELLO?!" He stood in front of me, blocking my vision. He placed one of his hands on his hip and leaned down so that our faces were almost touching. "Don't ignore me, bitch."

I looked at him in the eyes, bottom lip slightly quivering. "Why?"

His face slowly changed from annoyance to surprise. "Why what? Are you okay?"

I placed my head in my hands, my spirit deflated. Hidan held out his hand to lay it on my shoulder, but my sudden outburst scared him away. "WHY AM I WITH THAT IDIOT PAIR AGAIN?!"

Hidan backed up and looked around him nervously, not knowing what to do. As if they were called, the said pair exited the stone lair in a somewhat better mood. Deidara looked directly at me, face brightening instantly; it actually kind of scared me. "Hagoromo!"

Hearing my last name, Tobi perked up and ran over to me, spazzing. "Tsu-sempai!"

"Well, whaddoyah know?" Hidan snorted and crossed his arms, which pissed Deidara off.

"What does that mean, yeah?!" Deidara was in front of the Jashinist in a matter of seconds.

Hidan didn't answer his question, he just looked Deidara up and down, looking at me before turning back to him. He smirked, "You love that bitch, don't you?"

Deidara started to shake with anger, face red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "You don't kn-!" I walked past them at a slightly faster pace as usual, just wanting to get the new "special" mission done and over with.

"Stop talking and let's go." I brushed past Hidan and Deidara, almost knocking the artist over. "Tobi, do you know where we're going?"

Tobi ran up to catch up with me. "Kirigakure!"

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head, still walking. "That'll take at least two days. . ."

"You're just going to leave me like that, you little bitch?!"

"Sorry Hidan! I'll talk to you later!" I looked over my shoulder and smiled, but frowned once I saw Deidara. "Hurry up, Deidara-san; we'll leave you if you wait too long."


End file.
